Melting Ice
by faecree
Summary: Suzaku was burning hot. He was kind, honest, brave... persistent, and unlike anyone Lelouch had ever met before. However, as usual he knew it was critical for him to keep his distance. After all, Lelouch had already frozen over a long, long time ago, and everyone knows what happens when fire meets ice. (suzalulu, AU)
1. Part One

**MELTING ICE**

* * *

Part One

* * *

Lelouch had always seemed to stick out at Ashford Academy.

He never really understood what the big deal was himself, but since his first day at the prestigious private school he had been the subject of excessive gossip. Not that teenagers didn't gossip often enough as it was, but the amount of staring and whispering that went on around him on a regular basis was just absurd. After all, from where Lelouch stood (which was primarily the sidelines if he could help it) he wasn't anyone worthy of being watched. He was just another high school student minding his own business.

Sure, he was the eleventh prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, which happened to be the greatest and most powerful nation in the world, but that didn't make him inhuman. He still had flaws. He was still just a teenager. Not to mention, Ashford was a learning center for the children of the elite, the nobleman, the rich. If anything these were the sort of people who should be used to the sight of royalty.

And sure, maybe Lelouch had perfect marks in every subject without even having to attend class most days. However, as far he was concerned school was a breeze if you simply knew how to approach it properly. Besides, it wasn't as if he was some sort of genius! Maybe he was practically undefeated at chess and maybe he sometimes used words and phrases that his peers didn't always understand, but that didn't make him special! That was just...

Okay, well maybe Lelouch was technically a genius, but still human.

And another thing!

The entirety of the school seemed to be on a constant mission to get into his pants! Boys, girls, it didn't even matter!

Everyone agreed upon it really, at this point it was just fact; Lelouch Vi Britannia was the most sought after boy on campus. He was cool, good looking, refined, and had a reputation for coldly turning down everyone and anyone who had ever attempted to ask him out for a date.

And the worst part was that instead of being deterred by this knowledge many students had begun to take it as a challenge!

They were all playing a foolish and fruitless game entitled "Be the First to Thaw the Prince's Icy Heart."

More often than not women were attracted to the idea of being a princess of course, on the off chance they ended up married in the future. Men, on the other hand, were usually drawn to his abnormally feminine face, which was nothing if not a mortifying thing to admit. However, because of all this Lelouch had a strict policy; he refused to ever be seen alone with just one person unless they were family or one of the few exceptions like C.C. and the rest of the student council. After all, he knew for certain that they weren't out to get him.

The reason for the policy? That was simple. This way no one could ever misunderstand the situation and think of it as a date.

It stopped problems from occurring before they were even created.

Lelouch bristled at the thought of the days before he had implemented such a rule.

He was strolling through the grounds of Ashford leisurely that day. As per usual, he was forsaking history in favor of locating a nice, secluded tree to nap beneath, but all of his typical spots were occupied. Unfortunately, as the year was coming to an end, many of the seniors no longer had class in the afternoon, thus denying Lelouch the isolation he craved.

The sun was high in the sky and even though the trees had shed all of their petals the air still smelled of spring flowers. Most people would've called it the perfect day, but for someone as fair skinned and delicate as Lelouch the heat of the new summer sun beating down on his black head of hair was just too much.

Lelouch sighed loudly and wiped the sweat from his hairline with the back of his hand. He'd had enough searching for the day, he decided silently, and began heading back towards the boys' dorm to sleep in his own bed for a change.

As soon as he opened the door to the red brick building he was hit by a wave of air conditioning, wrapping around him in its sweet, cold embrace.

"Skipping again, Your Highness?"

Lelouch turned to face his teacher with an innocent smile.

"Of course not, Mr. Witte," he assured convincingly. "I simply forgot my textbook in my room."

The short, round man before him was the dorm supervisor (and consequently a literature teacher who he'd never actually had any classes with). Unfortunately, he knew of Lelouch's ways of deception, so he was not easily swayed.

He pursed his lips and looked over his glasses.

"Oh, I see," Mr. Witte said, blatantly feigning ignorance. "If that's the case then you won't mind running an errand for me on your way back."

Lelouch's perfect demeanor twitched in irritation.

"Of course," he forced out in a grossly sweet tone.

"You're in 306, correct?" the teacher asked. "There is a new student currently unpacking in 314. He should be done anytime now; escort him to his first class when he is. He's in Mrs. Bungard's Science II this period, Room 1105."

Lelouch accidentally tsked in response, obviously unhappy with the indirect punishment he was under-going.

"That's not a problem, is it?" Mr. Witte pressed.

"No," Lelouch said, though his voice was flat and clearly revealed his lie. "It's no problem at all."

"Good."

And with that, the infuriating old man left.

Lelouch glowered and began heading towards the elevator once the exchange had reached its conclusion.

Really, it had always bothered him the way his teachers were required to use a title when speaking to him. The worst part was that most of them considered it an insult to have to place a student above themselves, even if he was an heir to the throne of their "great nation." So, when they addressed him in that way it was often bitter and sarcastic. Of course, it didn't help that his fellow students had no such requirement either. After all, it wasn't as if they could be fired from the Academy, and the only way they'd get expelled was if Lelouch decided to complain, which obviously wasn't going to happen.

It was all rather obnoxious.

It wasn't as if Lelouch had demanded it. Hell, he didn't even want the damn title in the first place! No one had any reason to take out their frustrations on him.

The elevator pinged and opened its doors to the third floor then, shaking him from his thoughts if only momentarily.

Heading the opposite direction of his own dorm, Lelouch went straight towards Room 314. He could tell from down the hall where it was simply because the door was slightly ajar.

Peaking around the door frame, Lelouch came upon the sight of the back of a head of wavy brown hair.

The other boy was down on his knees in front of a dresser as he put away his clothing, all the while humming some tune that Lelouch couldn't say he recognized from anywhere.

After waiting a moment he coughed to get the stranger's attention.

The boy responded instantaneously, turning around and jumping to his feet in one fluid motion.

Lelouch suddenly found himself looking into a pair of great, green eyes.

"Uh... can I help you?" the brunet asked with a somewhat potent accent.

Lelouch knew at once that he was Japanese.

"I'm showing you to your class," he replied plainly. Then with a huff he added, "Though I don't see why I should have to... there is such a thing as a school map."

The newcomer looked mildly taken aback.

"Um, thanks?" he said uncertainly. "I'm Kuru... I mean, Suzaku Kururugi."

Lelouch crossed his arms and rested his back against the wall, giving him a sideways glance.

"Lelouch," he supplied flatly.

"Just Lelouch?" Suzaku prompted, cracking a smile.

"Just Lelouch," he confirmed.

Truth be told, he was only withholding his name for the sake of his sanity. After all, most people bombarded him with questions and requests the moment they knew of his royal title. This, of course, had always proved to piss Lelouch off without fail.

Some of the things people asked of him were completely bizarre and rather impossible a lot of the time anyway, so it wasn't as if he were just waving them off without reason.

"Ah," Suzaku continued. "It's probably really inconvenient to have no surname, huh? Although, with a unique name like Lelouch I guess it wouldn't really matter."

For a second Lelouch thought he was completely thick, but when he tore his eyes away from the ugly cream and gold colored carpeting of the dorms he saw the way Suzaku was smiling and realized he had been making a joke.

"Hm," he replied, but otherwise said nothing.

Suzaku furrowed his brows.

"You're kinda cold," he stated. "I wouldn't doubt it if the girls at this school like to call you 'The Ice Prince' or something like that..."

Lelouch's eye twitched in irritation when the hammer hit the nail on the head.

"Bite your tongue!" he spat. "I'm here to play chaperone for you so stop making unnecessary comments and hurry up so we can get this over with already."

Suzaku, for his part, look dumbfounded.

"Uh, sorry," he sputtered. "I didn't mean to..."

Lelouch cut him off with a heated glare.

"Right... sorry..."

The bitter silence that followed wasn't unexpected. Lelouch was refusing to look in Suzaku's general direction as he waited for him to finish unpacking, but part of him did feel a tad bit guilty for snapping. It wasn't Suzaku's fault that he was the new kid who was completely unfamiliar with Lelouch's social status and reputation. Most students were well aware by this point that referring to him as "The Ice Prince" (at least to his face) was bound to warrant a negative response.

Of course, this didn't stop them from using the term amongst themselves evidently.

Suzaku finished soon enough, kicking the lowest dresser drawer closed with his foot.

Lelouch stepped out of the room to allow him to close and lock the door, but he noticed that Suzaku was suddenly unmoving and looking at him with narrowed, hesitant eyes.

"What is it?" he asked dully.

"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before," Suzaku said.

Lelouch's eyes widened a fraction and he swiftly turned on his heel to hide the reaction.

He knew he had a recognizable face obviously, but it wasn't as if he was a big name in Japan. On the off chance that someone from that country was well acquainted with the prestige and appearance of his family they would have to be someone of notable standing.

Wait, Lelouch thought. He said his name is Suzaku Kururugi... as in Genbu Kururugi... as in the Prime Minister of Japan!

No wonder he recognized his face! If this guy really was related to the Japanese Prime Minister it was way more than likely that they'd met before.

Many of the world's leaders frequently gathered at an extravagant gala (held by his father of course) every two years or so to help promote peace between nations, and it wasn't uncommon for family and close friends to attend these gatherings as well. In fact, it was expected.

They had a title for the whole thing; something like "A Gathering of Nations" or "The National Gathering," he wasn't sure.

"Well, I can say for certain that I've never met you," Lelouch lied expertly as he began to walk briskly back towards the elevator.

Suzaku hurriedly locked his door and jogged over to him, so as to match their pace.

"Are you sure?" he pressed while examining Lelouch's profile curiously.

With a swift turn of his head Lelouch looked towards Suzaku.

"Yes!" he bit out furiously.

Most people would've given up on prying with such a violent reaction, but apparently in Japan it was considered socially acceptable to do the exact opposite, even when someone has yelled directly in your face. Well, that or this guy was just utterly oblivious to how obnoxious and potentially problematic he was being.

"I don't know," Suzaku murmured skeptically as they boarded the elevator. "I've always had a good memory when it comes to these things. Maybe we have met and you've just forgotten me, because I have such an unremarkable face."

He looked so genuine. Lelouch thought it was odd to see someone smile so sincerely while insulting themselves. At the same time, however, he wondered if he truly was so cheerful and care free or if it was actually just an extremely convincing act. Though, part of Lelouch was leaning towards the former, as Suzaku seemed incapable of understanding the concept of silence. Or rather, he didn't appear to notice and/or care that Lelouch really wanted him to just shut up already.

He was like a beam of sunlight that snuck through the shade of the tree, landing right over his eyes and consequently making it impossible to sleep.

Someone like that simply wasn't devious enough to need a mask.

Lelouch huffed childishly before giving in and replying.

"Well, if you find my face so familiar then what about my name?" he countered smoothly. "You yourself said it was unique."

The other boy laughed openly with this, but Lelouch wasn't entirely sure why.

"I'm not so good with names," Suzaku admitted easily.

Lelouch nearly groaned in exasperation, adjusting the bag on his shoulder as he increased his pace.

He never thought the day would come when he'd be actively rushing to Mrs. Bungard's class of his own free will, but here he was.

For the first time he was faced with a person he could not read for the life of him, and therefore Lelouch was at a loss as to how to make him realize that he really wanted to be left alone.

Not to mention, if someone were to see them together there was no doubt in his mind that word would spread like the plague. Lelouch could all but hear the sorts of stories people would fabricate out of nowhere, attempting to explain just why "the Prince" was alone with someone who was definitely not from the student council. And to make matters worse Suzaku was clearly very new and very much a foreigner. If anything, that would make the entire situation all the bigger.

Lelouch suddenly felt ill.

They'd walked through the courtyard in silence as he mulled over this realization luckily, but as soon as the pair entered the building that held the science wing Suzaku decided to speak up again, much to his chagrin.

"Ya know," he began. "I'm going to keep thinking about this. I'm almost positive I've met you somewhere before."

Lelouch shot him another glare.

"I'm unconvinced," he stated blandly.

"Either way," Suzaku chuckled light-heatedly in return. "It's gonna be hard for me not to think about it if I see you around campus. Who knows, maybe I'll just remember sooner or later... but until then it'll probably be annoying in the same way forgetting what you were going to say is."

Lelouch rolled his eyes.

"Do or think whatever you want. I don't really care as long as you aren't bothering me," he drawled rudely.

"Ouch!" Suzaku pretended to recoil. "You're cruel!"

Lelouch stopped in his tracks then, though not without purpose.

He pointed towards a door to their immediate right.

"This is your class, my obligation here is over," he stated firmly before turning around and walking back the way they came.

Suzaku raised a brow.

"Oh, that reminds me," he said. "Why aren't you in class right now?"

Immediately, Lelouch felt his face flush in irritation.

"Learn to mind your own damn business!"

_x x x_

Suzaku wasn't normally the sort of person who investigated others behind their backs, but then again it wasn't every day that he was faced with someone like Lelouch either.

He learned pretty quickly why the other boy had not given out his full name when they initially met, and in the process he also realized that Lelouch had been lying when he said he was positive that they didn't know each other.

It explained a lot actually.

Suzaku had thought that he was acting strangely of course, but when one of his new classmates (a bright and bubbly blond by the name of Gino) had told him that Lelouch wasn't just Lelouch, but actually Lelouch Vi Britannia, the eleventh prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, all sorts of things just fell into place.

No, they'd definitely met before.

Actually, Suzaku wasn't sure if they'd ever actually spoken, but he had traveled to their country many times to attend large, fancy balls full of noblemen, royals, and all sorts leaders of nations from around the world.

And the Emperor of Britannia himself, that large and fearsome man, well he had always been the sort to enjoy showing off his favorite heirs.

Suzaku remembered why Lelouch's face stuck out in his mind now too; he could suddenly recall a scene with the prince standing beside his father while attending one of the aforementioned gatherings. The Emperor had been boasting about him and some of his older siblings, but he didn't look very proud to be where he was. Actually, he looked down right miserable and uncomfortable, as if any moment he would just throw his hands up in the air and begin to scream.

"Yo, Suzaku!" a voice called from behind.

Suzaku had been walking across the grass of the courtyard since the last period of the day had let out, but he stopped upon hearing his name. When he turned around he saw Gino waving and approaching him happily.

"Hey, what's up?" he greeted in return as he waited for the other to catch up.

The Gino wrapped an arm around his shoulders then and he wondered to himself why he was being treated so familiarly. They had literally just met for the first time a few hours ago, but Gino was already acting as if they were old pals.

"I heard a rumor about you already," he teased. "Look at you, causing a stir in the social circles on your first day of school. The girls are all pretty scandalized."

Suzaku's eyes widened dramatically in surprise.

"What do you mean?" he questioned. "I haven't even been here half a day. How could people possibly have come up with a rumor about me already?"

Gino shrugged and said, "I don't know, maybe it isn't true, you tell me, but I heard from one of the guys in my last period that a senior girl saw you with Ashford's very own celebrity. And not just that, but they said you two were alone together."

"Ashford's very own celebrity?" Suzaku echoed curiously. "Ah! You're talking about Lelouch? Why does that matter?"

Gino let out a single loud laugh.

"So it's true then!" he bellowed. "That's amazing! You two don't know each other by any chance, do you?"

"Uh... not particularly..." Suzaku said. "I've seen him around before when I used to come here with my father, but I'm pretty sure we've never talked until now. Why? What's so newsworthy about two people walking together?"

"Hm, how should I put this?" Gino began thoughtfully. "It's just kind of amazing to see that guy alone with someone he isn't particularly close to, ya know? He has this tendency to come off as a cold hearted jerk on purpose so people will leave him alone... though that's probably just because everyone's always pining after his pretty boy face, so I can't really say I blame him. But, after seeing you two together, people are starting to wonder if 'the new kid' is chipping away at our prince's protective shell."

Suzaku scoffed at this.

"I don't think so," he laughed humorlessly. "Actually, I probably did the opposite. He seemed pretty annoyed with me and even yelled in my face a couple times."

"Weird," Gino said. "Then why were you two walking together in the first place?"

"My best guess? Well, I'm assuming a teacher asked him to show me to my class, judging by the way he was complaining about it."

Suzaku laughed dryly.

"That's kinda disappointing," Gino replied with a grin. "If it really had been true you would've made things way more interesting around here, for sure."

With that being said, Suzaku silently wondered if it was really a good idea to befriend this guy or not.

Gino looked as though he were going to say something else then, but instead he paused and his gaze passed over Suzaku's shoulder. Immediately, Suzaku turned around to see what the other boy was so distracted by, only to be greeted with the sight of a busty girl with yellow hair running towards them.

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Gino laughed with a hint of mischief in his tone.

As the girl grew closer Suzaku almost felt frightened.

"You!" she shouted as she pointed towards him comically.

"You're Suzaku Kururugi, right?" the girl continued without pause. "I'm Milly Ashford, Student Council President, and I came to officially welcome you to Ashford Academy!"

Suzaku wasn't sure how to respond honestly.

"Thanks," he said plainly yet politely.

Then suddenly, something clicked in his brain.

"Wait, Milly Ashford?" he asked. "As in..."

"You got it!" Milly cheered, cutting him off. "This is my school! So, what I say goes, and I say that you are joining the student council."

"What? Why?" Suzaku asked.

Gino busted out laughing with this, but Milly ignored him.

Meanwhile, Suzaku thought it was rather strange to just up and induct someone so new into the student council. Not to mention that he was foreign, to boot. Actually, it was really pretty damn suspicious when he considered Gino's reaction to Milly now and before as well. And besides that, he knew that he definitely wouldn't be of any use to the council; he wasn't very good at the sort of brain power that entailed after all.

Truthfully, he was better equipped for sports.

"Well you transferred in the middle of the year," Milly stated matter-of-factly. "Every student is required to join at least one club, but they're all full by now. So, I've decided there's no other choice but to have you join the student council of course."

"Of course," Suzaku deadpanned, knowing that meant he didn't really have a choice in the matter. "Okay, I guess... what would I even do though?"

Milly grinned wickedly and winked at him. Following immediately after, he mentally put the sight on a list of "The Most Terrifying Things He'd Ever Seen." After all, it was all too clear now what sort of girl he was dealing with, and Suzaku was almost certain he was about to get in way over his head.

And for the record, he was definitely being forced into all of this.

Milly grabbed his arm then and gave it a sharp tug as she began to head back towards the school's main building. Suzaku stumbled as he was practically dragged across the grass and turned his head back to Gino with a pleading look in his eyes, but the other boy simply shrugged and shook his head with the same silly grin plastered to his face.

Of course, that sealed the deal; Suzaku was now 100% certain that whatever was about to happen to him was going to set the tone for the duration of his stay at Ashford. And, from the looks of it, he had stumbled directly into a trap. These people were just itching for someone to pick apart and apparently the new kid was the perfect prey.

"Good luck buddy!" Gino called out with a wave just as the door closed in his face.

_x x x_

As cantankerous and distant as Lelouch had been feeling earlier that morning, by the end of the day things had only gotten worse and worse it seemed.

It was hard to say if Lelouch was ever in a particularly easy-going frame of mind of course, especially when you weren't someone he was especially comfortable around, but at the same time he was skilled at fending off his frustrations for the most part. Truthfully (and this may come as a shock), he didn't hate everyone who wasn't his little sister or brother, and he wasn't really the sort to generalize people based solely off of first impressions. However, that also didn't mean that it wasn't remarkably easy to piss him off.

Maybe he had high expectations of others, but it didn't really matter.

He knew that Nunnally and Rolo were the only ones _truly_ deserving of his smiling face.

As it would happen, Lelouch had been mentally berating his dorm supervisor all day after he realized how truly hazardous it was to be seen walking with Suzaku. He had already been harassed numerous times by his classmates, all of whom sought to question him about this most recent scandal. Of course, Lelouch didn't give a damn about the rumors. It was best to let people believe whatever they wanted after all, or at least that was what he thought. Sooner or later they would come to realize that nothing was going on between the two of them and that they didn't have anything to do with each other. After that the problem would just slowly fade away.

In the end it was exactly the same as any other troublesome occurrence in his life.

People would always follow him, watch him, swarm around him; it wasn't anything new, was it?

Yes, that's it, Lelouch thought to himself as he sat in the student council room, reviewing the budgets for each of the school's different clubs and events. Everything will work itself out if I leave it alone, so I shouldn't agonize this much over something so trivial. It's not as if the situation will repeat itself; I'll probably never even talk to him again.

Suddenly, the door, which consequently was placed directly behind him, burst open and Lelouch remembered that irony had a sick sense of humor.

"Prez!" Rivalz, who had been seated to his immediate left, exclaimed as he popped up and out of his chair. "Where did you..."

He trailed off and Lelouch refused to turn to see why.

"Madam President, welcome back!" Shirley said as she entered from a second door on the far side of the room. "Oh, you brought someone along?"

Lelouch's shoulders stiffened.

He glanced around the table to see the entirety of the student council eying whoever it was standing behind him. Rivalz, Shirley, Kallen, Nina; they had curiosity written all over their faces. And as for C.C.? Well, the smile that played at her lips was downright malicious.

Lelouch could already feel the headache setting in.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet the newest member of the Ashford Academy Student Council; Suzaku Kururugi!" Milly cheered loudly.

There it is.

Lelouch stood up and turned around in one exaggerated movement.

Honestly, Suzaku looked just about as surprised as Lelouch felt, but that didn't really make the situation any less alarming. He was royally (pardon the pun) screwed now. There was no doubt about it. Things would no longer just blow over with time, it was far too late for that, and all because Milly had to go and stick her bloodthirsty nose where it didn't belong.

Though, Lelouch was beginning to wonder how he hadn't seen this coming in the first place.

Regardless, this was undeniably an intentional setup on her part.

Suzaku blinked and opened his mouth as if to speak, but he said nothing.

Lelouch wanted to say something as well of course, but he didn't even have a chance to find his words.

Before he knew it, Shirley practically flew across the room and took hold of Suzaku's hand. Her smile was large and welcoming and it reflected just how kind-hearted she truly was.

One of the few, Lelouch thought bitterly.

"Hi there," she greeted enthusiastically. "My name's Shirley and it's really great to meet you!"

"Ah... yes, it's nice to meet you too," Suzaku said and it almost sounded a bit shy.

Lelouch and Nina were the only two who stayed back as the other's attacked the new comer with questions and conversation starters.

"My name's Kallen," the redhead introduced herself as the two shook hands. "You're the Japanese Prime Minister's son, right? I'm half Japanese myself and my mother moved back there a few years ago. She says your father is known for being kind of stiff and traditional."

"Is that so?" Suzaku answered with an amused smile. "She's right about that; back home he's always yelling at me for being such a push-over."

"Well, I can't exactly say you're what I was expecting," Kallen chuckled.

As the group continued to introduce themselves and get acquainted with Suzaku, Lelouch sat back down in his chair and observed.

He was well aware that they all knew of the rumors that had been circulating the school since early that afternoon, but most of the members of the council were also intelligent enough not to bring the topic up. Besides, these were the only people in the entire school that could even attempt to claim that they knew Lelouch as a friend. So, it was safe to say that they probably just assumed all of the gossip was completely unfounded, but unfortunately that wouldn't stop them from taking full advantage of the situation.

Lelouch was morbidly familiar with this sort of thing.

Milly, on the other hand, was still clearly the mastermind behind whatever diabolical schemes were being plotted (as per usual), so it was no surprise that she was the first person to bring up that one most dangerous subject when no one else would've dared.

As soon as everyone was situated around the table again, she intertwined her fingers and rested her chin atop them. Her eyes twinkled as she narrowed them, looking between Suzaku and Lelouch a few times during the curious silence. Only after the tension in the air had officially reached unbearable levels did Milly choose to speak.

"There's no need for me to introduce the two of you is there?" she began. "I hear you and Lelouch have already made each other's acquaintance, isn't that right Suzaku?"

Suzaku took on yet another face of bewilderment.

"I mean, kinda… yeah," he admitted sheepishly.

Lelouch crossed his arms and glared at Milly from across the table.

He could foresee the path this conversation was headed down all too well and it certainly did not look good for him.

"Milly," Lelouch said firmly. "I know where you're trying to take this and I'll say this one time only; it needs to stop right here and right now."

"Why Lulu," she chirped as she batted her eyes at him cutely. "I have absolutely no idea what you mean. I was just trying to clear up the rumor, that's all."

"You can cut the act. You forget that I know you and I know how you work," he shot back harshly. "As soon as I have peace and quiet for a change you always have to come along and ruin everything for your own sick pleasure."

"Hmm, or maybe you're just too uptight," Milly offered as if it were fact.

"Now you listen here, I..." Lelouch was about to start his rebuttal, but (once again) was cut off before he had the chance.

"Um, excuse me."

Both the President and the Vice President stopped and turned their heads.

Suzaku sat there with his hands folded neatly in his lap, looking rather miffed, and suddenly Lelouch realized that Shirley, Nina, Rivalz and Kallen were all staring with mild concern clouding their faces.

C.C., on the other hand, simply looked intrigued.

"I'm not 100% sure of what's going on here, but I think I get the gist of it," Suzaku continued in a much darker tone, the sort that Lelouch previously would've thought he'd be incapable of using.

"What I want to know is why it's such a big deal that he showed me to my class."

Suzaku gestured toward Lelouch with one hand.

"That's because it's against his rules," Milly replied slyly.

"What rules?"

"Ah, well, Lulu is pretty popular at our school," Shirley stepped back into the conversation. "I'm sure you've noticed. Sometimes it causes him a lot of problems though, so he has rules about befriending certain kinds of people and stuff like that. Oh! But not in a bad way of course, he's just very careful."

"Right!" Rivalz added. "He doesn't judge off looks or opinions, it's more like whether the person has good intentions or not… or something like that."

Suzaku glanced towards Lelouch to see if he had any qualms about letting his fellow club members speak for him, but if anything he just seemed pleased that he didn't have to do it himself. And he still looked so bored, sitting there with his gaze landing nowhere in particular.

Suzaku thought he was clearly lost in his thoughts already.

Honestly though, Lelouch was just quietly listening as his friends explained the situation. After all, he didn't have the energy it would take to talk about it himself. He knew how angry the subject tended to make him, and then when he opened his mouth awful things simply spilled out of their own accord.

In his eyes it was better to come off as cold and indifferent rather than irritable and downright heartless at times.

"So, I broke a rule?" Suzaku was asking then as Lelouch continued to listen in silence.

"No, you did something even worse!" Milly proclaimed with an underhanded smile.

"Huh?!" Suzaku exclaimed.

Rivalz made a pained face.

"It isn't that bad," he said. "I mean…"

Out of nowhere everyone's attentions were redirected to the far corner of the room as C.C. began to laugh loudly.

"You broke rule #1," she snickered. "Lelouch refuses to be seen alone with just one person at a time unless they're part of his family or close circle of friends, so when people saw him walking around with the new kid they instantly began coming up with ridiculous stories in their attempts to explain it. So yeah, it's pretty bad."

"I still don't really understand what you're trying to get at here," Suzaku grunted. "I mean, a rumor is just a rumor, right? It doesn't mean anything."

"You clearly underestimate this entire school's burning desire to drive me absolutely insane," Lelouch decided to rejoin the conversation angrily as he swiftly reached his breaking point. "All of this was going to be troublesome enough as it was, but since Milly had to go and drag you here in order to force you into the student council, things are about to get very 'interesting' for the both of us. Now, if you'll excuse me."

And with that he stood and headed directly for the door.

As Lelouch left Milly looked to Suzaku with a worrisome smirk and said, "You're wrong by the way; sometimes rumors do mean something."

Then, without another word, she followed quickly after Lelouch, yelling something about him having more paperwork to do.

"Interesting..." Suzaku tasted that particular word Lelouch had used just before he'd stormed out.

"What did he mean by that?" he wondered aloud.

Kallen let out one sharp laugh.

Suzaku turned to her.

"Let's just say Milly likes a good show," she said.

"Oh no, Kallen!" Shirley jumped in. "Madam President wouldn't do such a... would she?" The girl's face seemed to drop then. "Of course she would, this is the Prez we're talking about after all..."

Suzaku tried not to roll his eyes.

"Can someone just please tell me what's going on?" he pleaded in exasperation. "I'd really appreciate it if you were blunt with me."

"Basically," C.C. began again. "Milly is trying to take advantage of the rumor that you and Lelouch know each other; she wants the gossip to spread and grow until finally people think that even the strangest stories about you and Lelouch are true. This is most definitely why she had you join the student council as well, since Lelouch is Vice President. Milly's essentially going to attempt to milk this rumor for all its worth just to watch you two squirm."

"I knew I should've been more worried," Suzaku deadpanned.

* * *

**AN:** so unless you havent figured it out yet i think its pretty obvious that ive decided to separate this story into parts... i originally wanted it to be a 10-20k oneshot but somehow it grew into something much more so the new goal is 4 parts without a word limit. in the meantime i felt bad for leaving only the teaser for so long (which is outdated and will later be removed entirely)

for now i have about 10k written, but i think the first part is about 6k by itself...

kekekekekek i had too much fun writing this though, its kinda concerning actually, and i have a ton of ideas for this work too so be prepared for pain!

until next time!

\- fae

**EDIT** (Feb 23rd, 2014) -

so recently while writing part two of this story i realized that i really liked the idea of nunnally and rolo being twins, so i edited him into lelouch's thoughts... i really do like rolo's character a lot, obviously he isn't perfect, but neither is lelouch or suzaku for that matter, so mainly he's just very interesting to me.

enjoy~!

\- fae


	2. Part Two

**MELTING ICE**

* * *

Part Two

* * *

It had been 3 long weeks since Suzaku's first day at Ashford Academy and already many things had begun to change.

For starters, despite his intuition originally warning him that his time spent in the student council would be awkward, and/or a strange new form of torture, he soon found that he easily fit into their group of friends. It was almost as if he'd been there all year long, in fact. And, honestly, everyone in the council was genuinely good at heart from what he could tell. Some were more noticeably so (Shirley in particular), and some in their own, more _questionable,_ ways (i.e. C.C. and Milly). Besides, Suzaku was really beginning to enjoy his life in Britannia more and more each day. He'd even been named as the school's sole Disciplinarian, for some reason.

School was lively, exciting, interesting; it was nothing like his lonely, boring years of homeschooling with his tutor back in Japan. It truly shocked Suzaku how light and airy he felt being surrounded by so many people. He had always thought he'd been happy enough with the way things were back then.

But then, now that he thought about it, he'd never really had any _friends_ before, had he?

Lelouch, however, remained an enigma.

Suzaku just could not drop the subject either, and, no matter how hard he tried to rein it in, his curiosity still got the best of him every day.

Now, for example: Suzaku and Shirley were alone in the council headquarters, reviewing the students' different booth and event ideas for the up-coming festival. He was trying with all his might to focus on the papers in front of him, of course, but somewhere along the lines a thought came to mind which he just _could not_ allow to go unanswered.

Luckily, Suzaku (along with everyone else in the world) was well aware by now that Shirley had an _enormous_ crush on Lelouch. It was debatably the most sincere one throughout the entire school. So, the fact that she was the one sitting across from him at that very moment was so much more than convenient. She would have been the first person he'd asked anyway, even if they hadn't been alone.

"Shirley," he said to get her attention.

She looked up at him with wide, questioning eyes.

"What's up, Suzaku?" she asked in a typically innocent tone.

"Hmm," he hummed, pretending to casually think it over. "I was just wondering if I could ask you something about Lelouch."

As if on cue, a small dusting of pink graced Shirley's cheeks.

"About Lulu?" she chirped rather shyly. "Sure, what is it?"

"You've known him for a few years, right?" Suzaku asked. "Since the members of the student council are the only people who really _get _him, I was wondering why you like him, personally. After all, if anyone in this school understands him, it's his friends, right?"

Shirley's blush instantly deepened and she chewed her bottom lip, averting her gaze to her lap.

"Ah… err… well…" she stumbled. "The thing about Lulu… there are a lot of reasons I like him, so it's hard to explain. Why do you ask?"

He shrugged.

"I just want to know what you see when you look at him, I guess," Suzaku offered. "I still know next to nothing about him, since he avoids me like the plague."

Shirley continued to stare at her folded hands, a small smile now playing at her lips.

"He's always hiding behind that silly mask of his," she explained with a sigh. "You've obviously noticed, and of course it's all just to keep people at a distance, but Lelouch is truly very gentle. You know," -she stopped and giggled– "before we were in the student council together I used to think he was a complete snob. I thought even though he was handsome and smart, he was probably just your stereotypical spoiled prince. Then, one day, I saw him outside of school, drinking coffee at a café with his little sister…"

She trailed off for a moment, finally looking up towards Suzaku once more with eyes that practically sparkled.

"Let's just say, the way Lelouch treats his siblings," Shirley began again, with a new sort of conviction in her voice. "I think it shows what sort of person he really is."

Suzaku smiled.

"I trust that you know what you're talking about," he assured her. "You've been paying attention to him, after all."

Shirley's blush bloomed brighter than ever before then, spreading across her round face and all the way up to the tops of her ears.

"No!" she gasped urgently, waving her hands in denial. "Oh no, no, no! It's not that I pay that much attention to him or anything, it's just..!"

Suzaku was laughing.

"Calm down Shirley," he interrupted her alarm with a grin. "I was just teasin' ya."

Shirley deflated instantly and looked at him with diffident eyes, suddenly seeming as if she had a whole new impression of the boy in front of her.

"So," he pressed the conversation onwards. "What about Lelouch's sister? What can you tell me about her?"

Once again, Shirley was smiling wide as she went to answer. However, before she had the chance to breathe a word, the door on the far side of the room opened.

Suzaku sighed; of course, Lelouch, _of all people_, had to walk in on their conversation. It was ironic if nothing else. He didn't look all too happy either (not that he usually did in the first place), but that was to be expected since it was more than likely he had heard, a least, the ends of their conversation. And if he really did have some strange family complex, as Suzaku assumed he probably did, there was a distinct possibility that he was about to get told off. Not that Suzaku particularly cared whether or not he had heard them, but part of him knew now that even if Lelouch didn't yell at him, he was almost certainly about to mentally erase Suzaku from existence.

That thought was kinda irritating.

Heck! Maybe from that point on, whenever someone mentioned Suzaku around him, he would say, _"Who?"_

Honestly, Suzaku wouldn't put it passed the guy.

However, surprisingly enough Lelouch acted as if he hadn't heard a word of their exchange.

"Shirley, I can't find Milly. Have you seen her?" he asked, completely ignoring Suzaku, of course.

_Well,_ Suzaku thought. _At least that's expected. _

Shirley shook her head.

"No, sorry, I haven't seen her all afternoon. I wonder what she could be up too…"

Lelouch sighed heavily and hung his head, allowing his arm, which had been holding a clipboard up near his chest, to fall slack.

"Probably something terrible," he mumbled. "She's supposed to be helping me take inventory back in storage, but she vanished half an hour ago and I had to finish up by myself. This festival is already turning out to be colossal waste of my time."

"By the way Lulu," Shirley suddenly began with a bit more of an attitude. "How come Suzaku" -she gestured to him- "hasn't met Nunnally _or_ Rolo yet?"

Suzaku, for his part, had to suppress a groan of agony.

_Does she not know the meaning of the word 'tact?' _he wondered to himself.

"What?" Lelouch nearly sneered. "Why would he need to meet _either_ of them? There's no reason to bother, since we have nothing to do with each other."

This time Suzaku couldn't help but openly sigh.

He really did not like where this conversation headed. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing he could say which would sit well with Lelouch, like, ever, _at all_. So, it was probably best to play it safe and pretend to be mute. True, he was definitely being a bit too passive about the whole thing, but, at the same time, the entire situation in and of itself was exhausting, even without him having to do or say anything in the first place.

Suzaku figured he was better off that way, just letting things happen around him... at least for now.

Suddenly, Shirley jumped up from her seat and stalked over to Lelouch.

"Lulu!" she scolded him. "You're always so cruel to Suzaku; can't you at least try to make friends? He's a member of the student council now too, whether you like it or not."

He narrowed his eyes.

"That _does not_ mean I have to make friends with him," Lelouch gripped out coldly.

At that point, Suzaku couldn't resist.

"Hello," he said with a sarcastic wave. "I'm right here, ya know?"

Lelouch shot him a hardened glare.

"As I said," he stated darkly; it was the sort of tone one used with their child when they broke something particularly expensive.

Suzaku didn't really understand it. Threatening didn't really fit Lelouch's face per say, because he held more of an elegant, holier-than-thou appeal, which, when angry, was more attractive than anything else. People were probably a bit off-set by his title and sharp tongue, but it wasn't as if he was capable of anything physical harm himself. After all, Lelouch basically looked delicate.

Though, somehow Suzaku thought it wouldn't be a stretch to say he would hire someone to beat an enemy up.

"Lulu!" Shirley wailed again as Lelouch turned briskly on his heel and walked out of the room. "Get back here! You're such a jerk!"

Suzaku sighed again and stood up.

"It's okay," he said before she could go after him. "It doesn't really bother me that much. I'm just not used to being hated without having done anything wrong."

Shirley looked at him sympathetically.

"Don't worry, Suzaku," she uttered with confidence. "He doesn't _hate_ you; that's just the way Lulu is. I promise, he'll come around eventually."

Suzaku chuckled.

"Yeah, but really, it's okay."

However, despite having said that, he could not help his eyes from wandering to the door through which Lelouch had left.

It seemed he was always doing that, brushing through the room like wind whenever Suzaku was around, because to Lelouch it was practically immoral to be in the same space as him for more than three minutes. The only exception to that being the classes they shared and council meetings, but even during those few hours he was sure to keep his distance.

The rumors hadn't lessened since they began either, which was probably making matters all the worse. In fact, somehow Milly had instigated a story about them sneaking off school grounds together in the middle of the night that very weekend, and Suzaku still wasn't sure how he was going to survive being around her if she kept that sort of thing up. Not that she was the only one spreading rumors on campus (they got much worse), but she was certainly one of the main culprits.

Still, Suzaku didn't know why, but he wanted to understand what drove Lelouch to disregard him the way he did.

He got the gist of it, clearly; the rumors could get nasty and that seemed reason enough to want to isolate, but he somehow felt that there had to be more to the story. There was no way Lelouch could be as closed off as he was without any real explanation, apart from being annoyed by the entire student body that was. Acting that secluded... maybe he had some sort of horrible trust issue? Something had to of triggered it, because no one rejected most of the world without a reason.

Lelouch was a smart guy, he should've known better than to think that his guarded mask would keep him safe from reality.

So, what was his problem?

_Oh well,_ Suzaku thought, feeling a bit weary. _I guess it isn't really my business anyway._

**x x x**

About an hour later, Lelouch was walking swiftly through the school when he finally located his target.

She was standing there, in the middle of the hallway, looking (characteristically) smug as she leant against a wall beside Rivalz.

"Milly," he chided authoritatively, grabbing her attention as he approached. "I've been searching the entire school for you! What was so important that you had to run off and leave me to finish taking inventory of the _entire_ storage unit completely on my own?"

"Oh, you know Lulu," she teased him. "I had to take care of my numerous _presidential duties_."

"Half of which you have already passed onto me," Lelouch drawled out irritably. "But that's beside the point. The festival is _this_ weekend, and if you don't start doing _something_, we won't be properly prepared for it when the time comes."

"Oh, loosen up, will ya?" Rivalz cut in. "Since when do you care about school events so much anyway, Lelouch?"

He scowled.

"I don't care about the festival," he assured coldly. "I'd just prefer to not have to do all of the work for something I have absolutely no desire to be a part of in the first place."

Milly pushed off the wall with a sly grin then.

"I figured you'd appreciate the distraction," she mocked. "I mean, you're so adamant to stay away from your _boyfriend_, and I thought it would be the perfect excuse."

"What boyfri- _excuse me?!_" Lelouch bellowed as he realized what she'd meant.

Now, Lelouch was used to Milly crossing lines with him. It wasn't as if her game of baiting his anger was anything novel or noteworthy. However, she had been taking it much too far recently, now being a perfect example. And, moreover, it made no sense to Lelouch, who couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why she was doing this _now, _if ever. It wasn't as if Suzaku was the first new student to come to Ashford. So, why did Milly choose him, of all people, to drag into her twisted little scheme? Maybe it was because he was foreign? That didn't make much sense though, Lelouch knew. Suzaku's being Japanese was, in all probability, irrelevant, even if Lelouch didn't truly understand the workings of Milly's mind anyway. Maybe it was because he was Suzaku _Kururugi_, the Prime Minister's only son? Well, of course, even that wasn't exactly saying much at Ashford Academy, being the aristocratic school that it was.

"I'm joking!" Milly said with a barking laughter which made Lelouch grind his teeth. "Rivalz is right, Lelouch! You need to get that stick out of your ass and have some good old fashioned fun for once in your life!"

Rivalz was grinning beside her, almost pompously.

"The point is, _President_," Lelouch replied as he reigned in his anger. "You're supposed to be heading the council, not me."

Milly sighed playfully.

"Fine, fine," she said, waving him off. "Rivalz and I will go help set up in the courtyard. Why don't you grab Suzaku and have him help you carry the decorations outside too?"

"No," Lelouch spat.

"Yes," Milly laughed cheekily. "You won't be able to carry all those _heavy_ boxes alone, Lulu."

"Or you could do my job," Rivalz joined. "Mapping out the campus for the booths requires _way_ less physical effort."

Okay, well, enough was enough.

Lelouch was used to being mocked for his lack of endurance, but he'd finally reached his limit of tolerance for the day.

Without another word, Lelouch turned on his heel and left, ignoring his two friends as they called out for him to wait. Storming out of conversations was one of his specialties, after all, and lately he'd been getting in some fantastic practice time. It seemed as though everyone around him was trying to devour him alive as it were. Even if he still had friends on his side, speaking out against the President's strange brand of torture, Milly made up for it, wholeheartedly, by putting in twice the effort.

However, now that he thought about it, Lelouch realized something had been _off_ about his school life for the past few weeks. Even though the staring and whispering, which seemed to constantly surround him, had only doubled, somehow, he wasn't feeling so claustrophobic anymore.

Lelouch desperately wanted to get the festival over with already however. So, he had no time to dwell on such trivial thoughts and observations.

He was still just as exasperated with the world after all.

Besides, it was pure dumb luck that no one had approached him that day, and he would've loved to keep it that way.

Desperately praying to whatever higher being was out there, Lelouch also hoped that Suzaku had moved on to a different task by the time he returned to the clubroom. As he briskly swept through the school once again, back the way he came, that was the foremost thing on his mind. Perhaps it was true that he was strung too uptight; it was hard to deny actually. Yet, with eyes on him at all times (_then_ especially, when the curious onlookers could all but taste his sour mood), Lelouch felt perfectly justified with his awful disposition.

Oh, but then he remembered his plans for the night.

The thought of his younger sister and brother somehow made him feel just a bit more at ease. Happy to spend the rest of the evening with the two before he sent them off to bed, like the doting older brother he was, Lelouch was simply content with his family by his side.

So, there was that to look forward to at least.

Even his half sister, Euphemia, was a comfort to him, despite the fact that they rarely saw each other in those days.

Euphie would sometimes visit though, from the beautiful, all-girls academy she was enrolled in. And during those times, Lelouch often found himself venting to her in a way he would never dare around anyone else in his life. And honestly, while it bewildered him to consider such a thing, she almost seemed glad to be the one he confided it.

Euphie really was a charming girl.

Suddenly, Lelouch spotted a familiar figure at the end of the hall.

"Brother!" the figure called, jogging up to him.

Lelouch felt his shoulders relax, dropping his hardened demeanor, if only slightly.

"Rolo?" he said uncertainly, looking his younger brother up and down once he was finally within arm's length.

He looked distraught, but, then again, it had always been ridiculously easy to rile him up, hadn't it?

"What's wrong?" Lelouch asked, hinting alarm. "Did something happen?"

"It's Nunnally!" Rolo cried childishly. "She's… she's being…"

"What?!" Lelouch demanded as his brother continued to struggle for words. "Is she alright? Are _you_ alright?"

Rolo bit his lip and shook his head furiously.

"She's being _manipulated!_"

Lelouch hadn't really been sure what Rolo meant when he said that, truthfully, but he wasn't about to second guess the panic lacing his tone either. If it concerned Nunnally then Lelouch was all ears. Family was the only thing that mattered to him, the only thing he held any sort of devotion too. After all, family was forever.

Friendship? Relationships? They were fleeting.

So, when he burst into the council's clubroom with Rolo at his side, expecting to discover that his sister being harassed by some kind of delinquents (or something), Lelouch stopped dead in his tracks when that was certainly not what he found. No, because instead, inside Nunnally was seated happily at the table in the center of the room, perfectly safe and sound. And there Suzaku was, seated beside her, sporting a giant grin as he passed her some colored squares of paper.

"Oh, big brother!" she chirped sweetly, turning away from whatever she'd been so keen on doing. "So, that's where you ran off to, Rolo? I was waiting for you two."

Suzaku didn't say anything, though now he did look mildly apprehensive.

However, for whatever reason, Lelouch suddenly couldn't find it in himself to tell him off.

Then he spotted something folded up in his sister's hands.

"Nunnally," he began slowly. "What is that you're holding?"

"Suzaku was teaching me origami," she announced proudly, holding up a crane of red paper. "He said it's tale in Japan that, if you make 1,000 cranes, your wish will come true."

Suzaku, still seated to her right, laughed nervously.

"Uh, yeah," he spoke up. "It's something my mom told me a long time ago. I tried it once, but I don't think I even got past a hundred."

Lelouch was speechless.

Something about what Suzaku said was… oddly human. His tone was vulnerable even, which meant the subject was obviously one of deep meaning to him. And though Lelouch had no wish to pry, somehow he was inquisitive as to what that meaning could be.

_Whatever_, he thought. _It isn't really any of my business. _

Unable to find the words to answer Suzaku, Lelouch turned to his little brother.

"Rolo, you need to learn the meaning of an emergency," he chided. "You had me worried over Nunnally learning to make paper animals, of all things."

"But brother," Rolo whined. "He's… this is the guy who- he's the one you're avoiding, isn't he?"

Lelouch was surprised to find that he was insulted on Suzaku's behalf, especially over something so petty. It wasn't as if it truly mattered since, after all, he had been heading in that direction anyway, but Lelouch would've preferred it without the rush.

"Yes, well," he began. "I don't believe he's going to _hurt_ Nunnally, if that's your concern."

Rolo had no retort for that, averting his eyes to the ground in a gesture of resignation, perhaps slight embarrassment.

When Lelouch stole a glance at Suzaku, he found that he looked rather shell-shocked, and that was putting it lightly. Of course, this was reasonable when one considered the fact that this was the closest thing to "nice" Lelouch had been to him since the day they'd met. He was essentially standing up for him after all, wasn't he? Especially when it came to his siblings, it was basically unheard of for the renowned Ice Prince of Ashford Academy to say such things. And for him to defend Suzaku, of all people?

The world must have been freezing over.

Or worse.

What if it were on fire?

Sure, maybe it was over something insignificant. However, considering who he _was_, it was quite the leap for the ever-introverted Lelouch.

"It's okay, Rolo," Nunnally said with a giggle. "I'll teach you to make cranes too! Then you can help me reach 1,000."

Rolo didn't exactly look pleased with this, but, then again, he'd never been able to deny his twin anything either. Both he and Lelouch were a bit overly protective of their sister, even if she was technically the older of the two twins.

"Nunnally, you're being too comfortable with this stranger," he insisted harshly, gesturing towards Suzaku. "He's the one who has been causing Lelouch so much trouble!"

Suzaku opened his mouth, as if to say something (to protest perhaps), but after a moment's hesitation he remained silent, clearly second guessing whatever had been on the tip of his tongue.

"I highly doubt Suzaku was the one to start any of those rumors," Nunnally stated matter-of-factly.

Lelouch doubted it too, but that hadn't really stopped him from disliking the guy.

"Uh… look," Suzaku finally rejoined the conversation. "I'm really not trying to overstep my boundaries here. I just wanted to help your sister pass the time while she waited, that's all."

Whether he was lying or not wasn't even a question (of course he wasn't), but Lelouch honestly didn't know how he felt about the situation.

Nunnally seemed to be truly fond of Suzaku, even after the short while they'd been sitting together. It made him reconsider the cruel things he'd said earlier, back when Shirley had confronted him about the fact that Suzaku hadn't met either of his younger siblings. Maybe Rolo wasn't exactly his fan yet, but Nunnally had always been a spectacular judge of character, so her immediate liking for Suzaku made Lelouch wonder if he should give him a chance.

"Have you… been having fun, Nunnally?" he asked slowly, giving her a cautious smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were waiting for me. I was running around trying to find Milly."

Lelouch placed himself in the open chair to her left, and quickly Rolo followed suit, taking a seat right up next to his brother.

"Oh, it's alright," Nunnally chimed merrily, reaching out for her brother's hand. "Suzaku told me all sorts of things about Japan, so I think it was worth the wait. Besides, we weren't here that long, were we? I was so enthralled that time just flew by!"

She giggled.

Still perched on the opposite side of Nunnally, Suzaku was lost somewhere between astonished and perturbed.

Shirley was right! He would've never thought it possible for someone like Lelouch to act the way he was in that moment. The look on his face was fragile, gentle, and almost maternal even. Honestly, Suzaku wasn't really sure if he found it endearing or concerning, but he was leaning towards the former. Lelouch's siblings brought him out of his shell in hardly a second; it was frighteningly impressive to say the least.

Not to mention, both brothers were clearly exceedingly protective of their sister (he could see it already, the royalty of Britannia was definitely a scary bunch).

Though, Nunnally also appeared to be a smart girl. And, while she probably didn't need all the coddling, it was just as well.

Suddenly, Suzaku could easily picture Lelouch as the typical overbearing elder brother.

"What else did you learn?" Lelouch continued then, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Of course, Suzaku couldn't help noticing the way his lips twitched as he spoke. Though, it still took him a moment to realize that Lelouch's smile had broadened a bit as a result.

"Oh!" Nunnally jumped to life. "Suzaku told me that the school festival reminds him of his home, because they have them all the time in Japan! Apparently, there are games, like goldfish scooping and ring-tossing. Isn't that right, Suzaku?"

She turned to him, beaming.

"Uh, yeah, that's right," he agreed, returning her smile nervously. "And we eat things like Takoyaki, Yakisoba, and shaved ice; there's all kinds of delicious stuff. It's really fun."

"Tako- what?" Rolo cut in, sounding flat and blunt as ever. "This is Britannia; no one knows what those things are."

He clearly wasn't afraid to offend.

Suzaku was unfazed by the jealous younger brother however.

"Takoyaki is basically balls of fried batter with octopus inside, and Yakisoba is fried noodles," he explained simply. "Everything is really over the top too; a lot of people like to dress up in traditional clothing. Oh, but around this time of year we usually have cherry blossom viewing festivals, and, actually, they're my favorite."

He sighed

"I'm a bit disappointed I can't be there."

When Suzaku glanced towards Lelouch impulsively, he found his face to be completely indecipherable. Within the past few weeks it was true that Suzaku hadn't had much time to get to know him (none at all actually), but he had always been able to guess what Lelouch was thinking at least.

Now, though? Well, now Lelouch was simply observing him, and he wasn't sure how it made him feel.

And for a moment, Suzaku thought he saw sympathy flash through deep, purple eyes.

Or maybe he had just imagined it?

_Yeah,_ he thought._ Probably just wishful thinking. _

However, despite Suzaku's doubts, Lelouch found himself a bit touched by his words.

Home was something important, at least in his (not-so) humble opinion. Despite how often he complained about being there, Lelouch wasn't sure how he would react to being as far from the palace he grew up in as Suzaku was from Japan. He was sure it was a daunting feeling, because, unlike him, Suzaku could not simply call a car to drive him back. He was overseas, essentially days away from wherever he'd grown up or whatever city the Kururugi family currently occupied.

"Where is your family now?" Lelouch heard himself ask without meaning to.

Suzaku's eyes instantly went wide as his back stiffened a fraction.

Lelouch couldn't really blame him. After all, that was the first time he had addressed Suzaku without needing to be prompted. And, of course, he was asking something so personal. If that wasn't downright odd, even in his eyes, Lelouch wasn't sure what was.

"Um…"

Suzaku hesitated to answer, glancing once between Nunnally and her two caring brothers before his eyes finally met Lelouch's once more.

"Well, my father lives in Tokyo," he offered simply.

Immediately, Lelouch regretted asking.

He could see the pain etch itself onto the other boy's face, and all at once he realized that this had to be a touchy subject. Either way though, he wanted to know more, but the guilt that was trying to make itself known, in the deepest pit of his stomach, kept him from doing so. Lelouch was sure now that Suzaku was indirectly implying that he did not actually live with the Prime Minister, but his question was "why?"

Unfortunately, though she was usually a pro when it came to reading the atmosphere, Nunnally did not seem to pick up on Suzaku's sudden mood swing.

"And you live with your father?" she questioned innocently.

Suzaku laughed uneasily at this, scratching his neck in a nervous fashion as he gave her a rather insincere grin.

"I don't actually," he explained. "I was living in Osaka before I came here, but I'll probably be going to Tokyo once I graduate."

Luckily, right as Nunnally went to question him once more, Milly burst into the room with a bang.

"Oh, there you are-" she cut herself short, staring at the picture before her in utter shock.

Of course, this is Milly we're talking about, so she recovered in less than a second.

"Lulu," she called surreptitiously. "Didn't I send you to get Suzaku so you two could bring the decorations to the courtyard?"

Lelouch narrowed his eyes at her, instantly slipping back into his cold demeanor.

"Yes, and I was on my way to do just that before Rolo found me," he stated bitterly. "Apparently, he and Nunnally were waiting for me here, and, as you know, they take priority over school any day."

"Hm? Well, don't you all look so cozy here," she teased with a smirk, giving Suzaku a pointed look. "Like you said before though, we're running a tight schedule, so come on now!"

Suzaku stood up in response.

"Sorry," he said. "It's my fault for being a distraction."

"You're not a distraction," Lelouch chided so quickly he nearly cut him off. "I wanted to know, so it isn't a bother."

His words should have sounded kind, but they came out in a harsh tone, so it was honestly a little hard to tell what his intentions where.

When he stopped, however, Lelouch realized that all of the room's other occupants were staring at him in surprise.

Had he really just said that?

Realizing his mistake, Lelouch acted before Milly could speak another word. He knew she would take advantage of the moment, that wasn't even a question, so it was up to him to flee before she had the chance. Besides, he just wanted to get his student council duties out of the way now. He didn't really care if she wanted to play around with him, he was used to it, but he knew they were running out of time before the festival, so that was the real reason he stood to leave in that instant.

Or, at least, that was what he told himself.

"You are right though," Lelouch said as he quickly pushed back from the table, turning to his siblings. "You two wait here for me, alright? I'll be done with this as soon as possible and then we will go out to eat."

"Yes, brother," the twins chimed simultaneously.

As Lelouch swept out of the room in his usual pompous fashion, Suzaku turned to look at Milly.

She nodded her head towards the door, giving him a cheeky grin, as if she knew something he didn't.

"Go on," she nearly sang. "He's going to need your help carrying all those _heavy boxes_ outside."

And, without a second thought, Suzaku dashed out after him.

**x x x**

Saturday, the day of the Ashford Academy annual spring festival, came all too quickly.

Suzaku had yet to join in all of the fun, he felt out of place honestly, and was far more comfortable watching the other students from afar.

It had been true what he'd said a couple days back; he felt homesick looking at all the booths and smelling all the tasty treats that were being sold along the outside of the school. It made him think of the things he didn't want to remember, like his lonely childhood and his mother. And the longer he stood there, enjoying the soft shade of a tree as he listened to the sounds of fun echoing all around him, the more depressed Suzaku became. So, (after talking Milly out of forcing him into a kissing booth) he began his trek back to the boys' dorm, hoping to forget all of his troubles with the aid of a nice, long nap.

However, as Suzaku approached the building which held his temporary living space, he spotted two boys from his Britannian History class standing directly in front of the entrance. He couldn't recall their names, of course, but that was probably mostly because he didn't _want_ to. They'd never properly introduced themselves or anything anyway, which made sense since they also enjoyed throwing insults in his direction on a semi-regular basis. And, not that Suzaku cared personally, but the way they were glowering at him in that moment didn't look all that promising either.

"Hey! Kururugi!" the taller of the two practically growled. "What's the matter, feelin' like an outcast?"

The other boy, the shorter, blond one, chuckled.

Though, they were _both_ taller than him.

"What are you saying, Monty?" the blond asked sardonically. "Being the only Jap at a Britannian school, of course he's an outcast!"

They both laughed at their pathetic excuse for mockery.

"Can I _help_ you with something?" Suzaku wondered calmly, raising a brow.

"Actually, yeah, you can!" the one, apparently known as Monty, spat. "How about you do us all a favor and stay away from our Prince?"

"Why?" Suzaku said evenly. "Lelouch and I are both in the student council together, so I don't actually think that's possible. Do you think I'm hurting him or something?"

"Maybe not physically," the shorter one bit out. "But just the fact that you're around him so much taints him!"

"I'm sorry?" Suzaku replied sarcastically.

"Oh, you will be," Monty snapped. "Just stay away from Lelouch or we'll beat the lesson into you, got it?"

Suzaku frowned, unimpressed.

"Like I said," he stated without any emotion in his voice. "That's impossible. I'm a member of the Student Council as well, so I-"

Before he could finish, Monty launched a fist his way.

Now, it's important to point out that Montague Topper was not really a person of notable standing in Britannia, or anywhere really. So, it made plenty of sense that he really knew nothing about Suzaku. Sure, most everyone was aware of Suzaku's _situation_ at that point, who his father was really, but nobody knew anything about _him as a person_. Had he been nobility, or rather, anything other than a spoiled rich little brat, Monty may have known better than to pick a fight with a member of the Kururugi family.

However, he was not, and, therefore, did not.

After all, unfortunately for him, Suzaku Kururugi was nothing if not simply _incredible_ when it came to any and all forms of martial arts.

Well, Suzaku definitely knew how to keep his cool –that was the most important part. He knew how to defuse a situation in an instant without really causing any harm, and his entire life had been devoted to perfecting and honing those skills. That was how he'd lived his life at the Osaka estate, his training being the only thing to focus on without any sort of friends to keep him company.

It had just been Suzaku, his mother, and the servants, who kept their oversized home in a state of everlasting cleanliness.

That being said, Suzaku dodged the attack easily, grabbing Monty's wrist and twisting his arm behind his back before he had the chance to retaliate.

"Look, I really don't want to fight you," he asserted in warning.

"Too bad!" the blond spat from behind, coming at him in an effort to free his buddy.

Luckily, Suzaku kept his head straight (as always), merely taking a deep breath as he twisted around to use the other boy's weight and momentum against him. And while he continued to hold Monty down, Suzaku stepped past his attack and hit him in the back of the knee, sending the blond tumbling into the dirt. Though, while he had been distracted for _just_ a moment, Monty somehow managed to escape Suzaku's grip and dash around to go at him again.

Now, truly, you must give him credit for his persistence, but really he should've known better by then. After all, he sorely underestimated Suzaku's reaction time and promptly found himself flung to the ground alongside his friend, held down by a re-twisted arm.

"Is that all?" Suzaku asked dismissively. His face was passive, but his tone was somewhat grim. "You aren't going to win this fight. Surrender now."

"Japanese bastard," Monty hissed from below. "Why don't you just go back home?!"

Suzaku sighed, letting go of his captured arm and stepping back.

"This was pointless, you know?" Suzaku muttered. "Even if I wanted to go back, and even if I wanted to avoid Lelouch completely, there's really nothing I can do about either of those things right now, so..."

Feeling that the brawl had successfully been avoided when he received no reply, Suzaku turned towards the building's entrance once more.

Well, in retrospect, maybe _he_ should've known better too.

Suzaku heard it before he saw it, but Monty instantly went to strike him as he turned his back. His blond friend appeared to be the smarter of the two, remaining frozen in his spot, looking towards Monty as if he had lost his mind. Though, it seemed luck was on his side, as Suzaku was sloppy in his defense and was met with a fist to the side of the face. It wasn't very powerful really, but it was still enough of an impact to leave a bruise. However, the pain only seemed to spur him on, and Suzaku was quick to strike back, grabbing a tight hold on the second fist heading his way, and...

But before he had the chance to subdue Monty once again, a familiar voice made everything come to a grinding halt.

"Okay! I've had enough of this!"

**x x x**

At first, Lelouch merely wanted to see how he would react to the situation.

That was the sort of person Lelouch was; he just loved to test people.

Although, now it surprised even him how interested he had become in regards to a certain topic. But, since Thursday, he hadn't been able to get it out of his head for more than a few hours.

It being Suzaku.

That notion alone should've been concerning for Lelouch as well, but, in reality, it didn't bother him all that much.

See, everything started when Suzaku caught up with him on his way to the storage room.

Initially, he didn't notice any change, but Lelouch suddenly found himself unable to ignore the other, as he had done so in the past. Their conversation stayed constant, civil, _pleasant even_, and he couldn't tell if it was because he was fascinated with stories of Japan, or if he was merely fascinated with _Suzaku_. And, as they continued to walk and chat, travelling back and forth through the school and the courtyard, Lelouch noticed something else that enthralled his mind –no one approached him.

Now, this was something odd, because typically when Lelouch was accompanied by someone he knew (even if Suzaku was technically just an acquaintance forced upon him), that was when people chose to talk to him. It was almost like the "open time," as if he were an item in a store, just waiting to be bought. And Lelouch hated that about his life, above all else. He didn't understand why people he'd never spoken with before felt compelled to ask him to date them.

He wondered; had everyone lost their common sense? Or was he just the only one around who understood that you shouldn't date someone you don't even _know?_

But that was beside the point, because Suzaku was keeping those strangers at bay.

They only spoke if necessary after that, but Lelouch had been covertly observing him since the realization struck.

And now here he was, testing him.

Then Suzaku had to go and doing _everything right_.

"Okay! I've had enough of this!" Lelouch spat, walking over to the three scuffling students with a disgruntled huff of annoyance.

"Lelouch!?"

Suzaku looked a little uncertain then, almost like a puppy waiting to be kicked, and it nearly made his visage falter.

"What exactly did I just witness?" he growled in annoyance. "I'm not going to skirt around this; this sort of ignorance in our school never ceases to infuriate me."

"Lelouch," the blond one uttered again in shock. "We're fighting for your honor!"

"My… what?" Seethed Lelouch, crossing his arms tautly. "Please, enlighten me as to why you would need to do that."

"I'm not dumb enough to believe the rumors- I know the President is making you hang out around this guy!" he shouted, gesturing towards Suzaku melodramatically. "And he's just all fine and happy, even with all the trouble he causes!"

"That's right," Monty agreed, panting lightly as he tried to catch his breath. "So, don't stop us."

"This is just blatant racism," Lelouch scoffed. "Tell me, what sort of problem has Suzaku intentionally caused, hm? Try thinking outside the prejudice little box your parents have raised you in. I will not stand for this nonsense."

"Why are you defending this guy?" the blond growled. "Don't tell me that our Prince is actually friends with this conniving Jap-"

_SMACK!_

"Silence!" Lelouch hissed. "First off, how dare you attack another student on campus and then have the _audacity_ to claim it is in my honor?! People with your line of thought make me physically ill! I swear, if you attempt to assault my_ friend _one more time, I will not hesitate to report you to the school for harassment. And, I promise you, with my word you will be expelled instantly. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

But, _of course_, without waiting for a response, Lelouch turned and grabbed a stunned Suzaku by the wrist.

"Come on," he murmured angrily as he pulled Suzaku towards the dorms. "I can't handle being in the presence of such idiocy for a second more. The feeling of all my energy leaving my body is nearly palpable at this point."

And, oddly enough, that was the questionable start of Lelouch vi Britannia's fated friendship with Suzaku Kururugi, the boy he'd convinced himself into hating only three weeks prior.

* * *

**AN:** So… long time now see guys! This chapter needs a lot of editing still probably, but I'm actually really pleased with it, especially the end. The scenario of Suzaku getting picked on actually came to me this morning before work, so I forced it into text form… I'm really surprised how quickly I did that today honestly, but I don't really feel like sounds all too rushed or anything, so that's a plus. Anyway, I'll probably edit this a lot in the near future, but… you know… Oh, also I hope the idea of Nunnally and Rolo being twins isn't odd to anyone, because I'm very much in love with it. Like I said in my edit for Part I, I had to go back and fix up some things so Rolo could fit into the picture, but now here he is!

Part III will be about Suzaku and Lelouch being best friends, so I might be able to update faster this time, since I know it'll be fun to write. And then you know what Part IV will be about? It's the final part, so I'm sure it pretty obviously…

Just one more thing; when I update my stories I have to go in a certain order. I'm training myself to do this for the sake of more frequent updates, so appreciate it. But next on my list is my "Over the Garden Wall" fanfic, "Five to Forever." Luckily, the next part of that story is already about 80% done, so I'll be able to start working on "Lost Kitten" as soon as that's posted, and then I'll finally be able to update this story again! This one is my favorite after all… Then hopefully once I complete this or either of the other two stories I'm currently writing, I'll be able to continue working on my "Kuroshitsuji" oneshot, "The Art of Hunting," so I can put it up.

Hope you enjoyed Part II of "Melting Ice" friends!

Stay stellar!

\- fae


	3. Part Three

**MELTING ICE**

* * *

Part Three

At first, when Suzaku had approached Shirley about Lelouch, she had been completely unfazed by his various questions. They'd seemed innocent enough at the time after all, and most people were generally pretty interested in Lelouch to begin with anyway. So, it wasn't as if that was anything new, really. However, as the days that passed since the school festival turned into weeks, Shirley couldn't shake the feeling that she'd somehow managed to sabotage herself unintentionally by cooperating with his curiosity.

Now, it had been nearly a month since the festival, and Shirley was positive that something pivotal must have happened between the "new kid" and her crush that her and the rest of the student council had inadvertently missed out on.

It was all truly rather sudden; the day of the fair had seemed average enough, for such an eventful time that it was, but that Monday afternoon, at the next council meeting, the dynamic of Suzaku's relationship with Lelouch seemed to have altered considerably.

Well, it was more like they actually had one now, rather than Lelouch continuing to simply flat-out ignore Suzaku's entire existence.

The worst part though, was that Lelouch refused to acknowledge the sudden change in himself with a very Lelouch-esque approach. And when Milly had begun to pry and pester the two, both boys had instantly developed quite a knack for avoiding the subject.

It was almost as if Suzaku were just sort of following his lead really…

At the moment, Shirley was spacing out within her English class. The teacher was reading a passage from a chapter in the book they were currently assigned, his tone flat and dragging. The classroom was so dull and uninspiring that it was no wonder she couldn't focus on the words echoing throughout the room, especially when she just so happened to share that period with both Lelouch _and_ Suzaku. So, of course Shirley would've preferred to assess the two of them, rather than actually pay attention that day's the monotonous literature lesson. It was just so _easy_ to spy on them too. Because, oddly enough, Lelouch had taken to seating himself beside Suzaku during the last few weeks, and Mr. Elmore was a man who was vastly patriotic and, therefore, more than happy to allow his prince to do as he pleased.

Suzaku seemed a little too thrilled with this change of pace as well; that was what really threw Shirley for a loop.

_He's actually hard to read,_ she thought suspiciously, taking a glance at him from a across the room as she recalled the conversation they'd had before the school festival. _I mean, he didn't look like he really cared… but, then again, he did ask some embarrassing questions. It was kinda weird. I wonder if he planned all this from the start… _

But, even to someone like her, that seemed unlikely.

Although, the next time she snuck a peak at the pair (and thinking of them as a "pair" really only seemed to irk her all the more), Shirley's face flushed with the sight, as Suzaku seemed to whisper something to Lelouch which made him stifle a laugh.

Mind you, Shirley was mostly blushing because it was such a rarity to see Lelouch show any sort of positive emotion- as slight and inconspicuous as it may have been, but somehow she almost felt a sinister feeling settling within her. It was the same sensation as the tingle of pure affection, but by some means more akin to antagonism, not unlike when you know someone is certainly out of your league. And Shirley considered that maybe she felt so on edge because Lelouch hadn't really been _Lelouch_ as of lately. However, that was only until she realized it was probably more-so due to the evident fact that, yes, Lelouch wasn't being Lelouch, but _because of_ _Suzaku_.

It was jealousy she was feeling, mixed with a sense of endearment which made her immensely conflicted.

And though part of Shirley _surely_ knew that she was being morphed by her resentment, she just could not stop herself from thinking that this was really all Milly's fault in the end.

The two boys had grown frighteningly close, that much could go without saying by then. They practically flaunted it, even as they pretended it didn't exist. It always looked like Suzaku and Lelouch lived in a tiny bubble of a world when they were together too, immersed in an avid conversation which usually had Suzaku smiling brightly. It was all almost insulting in a way, because it brought up the question, what made Suzaku good enough? Lelouch ignored most people, and Shirley still considered herself relatively lucky to be his friend, but (and she was also well aware that this probably wasn't true) it seemed so… _arrogant _of him.

Though, even fueled by the nagging little notion that Lelouch may actually prefer Suzaku because he was a boy, Shirley also could not find it in herself to dislike either of them for it. After all, gender had nothing to do with it. Plenty of guys liked Lelouch, so this was all really about Suzaku in particular honestly.

Of course, Shirley definitely wasn't a bad person, and jealous or not, she still adored Lelouch, and she still thought Suzaku was kind and fun (if not a little mysterious at times).

Besides, Shirley also thought they looked flat-out _wonderful_ together, both handsome and fascinating in their own ways.

It's difficult to hate beauty.

And, mostly in light of her crush, despite the tension she felt for Suzaku, Shirley had never seen Lelouch look at someone the way he looked at his new "friend." It was similar to how he regarded his family, in that his gaze was soft and patient, yet with a hint of something different. When Lelouch looked at Suzaku, sometimes it was the face of a friend (or at least the Ice Prince's best rendition of such a thing), but other times he looked downright sad.

At this moment, it's important to note that Shirley had really only seen Lelouch appear legitimately _sad_ twice.

He wasn't often happy, that was for sure, but for him to be sad?

Irritated.

Bored.

Indifferent.

That was Lelouch's emotional range.

Well, at least that was what he portrayed, but Shirley knew better.

The first time she saw him become truly upset was when he found out his half-sister, Princess Euphemia, had been shot.

(That was back in her first year at Ashford Academy, when she hardly knew Lelouch as a friend, but more of a fellow classmate who just so happened to be hands-down the most popular individual in their entire school).

The princess was in a local hospital, being treated for a bullet wound to the shoulder, when their phone rang. The event had been all over the news apparently (she had been attacked during a press conference by a terrorist, presumably from the Chinese Federation, who luckily was a bad shot), but everything occurred during class, and no one knew until Lelouch received a call from his mother.

He left the room to take it, but when he returned to retrieve his things he seemed as though he were trying not to _cry_, of all things.

At the time, the sight left Shirley in shock, but the more she got to know Lelouch, the more she understood it.

However, for Lelouch to be upset over a wounded sibling, that may have been normal, but it wasn't every day he showed that side of himself to someone he wasn't obligated to. Lelouch valued family, that much was blatantly obvious, but Suzaku wasn't his family. He wasn't even Britannian. Not that it really mattered, but still, if he had been, then at least this all may have had some sort of strategical, political explanation behind it, because to have a Britannian noble in his favor would've been good for his family. And, after all, that sort of thing was _definitely_ within Lelouch's character to do.

The relationship between Britannia and Japan was completely stable though, so that couldn't have been it.

Ultimately, it appeared that Lelouch actually _liked_ having Suzaku as company, and if that was fact, then Shirley was happy for him (albeit, a bit reluctantly), because she figured he could probably use someone like that around.

_It's like they're already best friends,_ she pondered as she snuck yet another passing glance at the two from the corner of her eyes. _I want to say it's cute, but for some reason_…

Shirley shook her head, casting her negative thoughts aside.

_Don't be bitter now!_ she scolded herself. _If Lulu likes him, then there's got to be a good reason for it, right? Okay, I can't let myself get caught-up in anger just because I'm a little jealous. And it's not like they're dating or something… right?_

Well, perhaps that wasn't the best path for Shirley to let her mind wander down, but for some reason it wasn't hard to imagine either. And suddenly, she could feel another blush spread across her face as she was overtaken by what-if's.

It _really_ wasn't difficult to picture them as a couple.

Of course, Lelouch had told Shirley in the past that he simply "didn't date," from a moral standpoint. His explanation had something to do with his status as a royal and all the things that were expected of him, but she had been friends with Lelouch for long enough by then that she knew it was clearly all a load of crap. He may not have been the dating type, but if he had a reason, that certainly wasn't it. After all, Lelouch didn't care what people thought of him, especially not in regards to the fact that he was a prince. When others addressed him with a title it made him visibly uncomfortable even. So, for him to say that he cared about propriety and the public's image of his royal blood? That had to be a lie.

But, regardless, the fact that Lelouch _didn't date_ meant Shirley was just worrying over nothing, right?

Well, considering how unusual things were becoming now that Suzaku was around, she could honestly only hope.

Of course, really Lelouch was acting just downright strange; that much was completely undeniable at least. He was rarely alone for one thing, which was pretty amazing in and of itself. All of his time, which would've typically been spent sleeping or just basically avoiding people, was now spent in Suzaku's presence instead also. And he had even gone as far as to ask Suzaku to go out with him and the twins in front of the entire clubroom last weekend, leaving the rest of the group in total awe as Suzaku just smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

This wasn't their Lelouch, no way!

He had to have been brainwashed or something, because _their_ Lelouch never invited anyone to his family dining night unless they were part of his _family_.

Although, at that point Suzaku might as well have been an honorary Britannian royal, because he was stuck to Lelouch like a burr from the forest.

No, he was more like a giddy puppy, and Lelouch was the burr.

Shirley did not like it though, that much was obvious. She wasn't exactly angry, per say, but somehow she'd found it hard to talk to her beloved "Lulu" as of late. Other than around Suzaku, he was still generally himself, but there were subtle changes in him that only Shirley and rest of the council had noticed. Plenty of people paid attention to Lelouch, of course, but they were the ones that knew him best; Milly had been the one to point out his decrease in outbursts, C.C., the one to point out how close together the two of them always walked, and Shirley? Well, she'd probably been the first to notice the fact that Lelouch's eyes always seemed to find Suzaku in a room before anyone else.

It's hadn't even been a full month yet, and it was like they were the sort of friends who already knew they were going to be science partners well before the project had even been announced.

Worse yet, no one had dared approach Lelouch since the school festival.

People just thought Suzaku seemed dangerous honestly. There were rumors that he had beaten up two other students that day, and while she typically didn't acknowledge that sort of gossip, Shirley had some evidence in the theory's favor.

First of all, the following Monday, when Lelouch and Suzaku showed up to their council meeting all buddy-buddy for the first time, Suzaku had a bruise on the side of his face. It wasn't too bad, a bit purple and swollen, but he was perfectly fine. Lelouch, however, proceeded to ask him if it hurt just about every hour or so.

After that, Shirley had a run-in with the boys he'd apparently fought.

Montague Topper and George Hinterland- they were two of the most infamously racist students at their school.

And boy, did they have quite an interesting story to share with her.

With that memory in mind she paused.

_Yes_, Shirley pondered silently. _There is definitely something wrong with Lulu._

**x x x**

_**A month prior…**_

On the day of the festival Lelouch hadn't thought anything significant would happen, because, just like every year before, he planned to take care of his duties as Vice President and then promptly run off to hide in the dorms for the rest of the afternoon. However, unlike any other year, that was before the incident involving Montague Topper and his blond friend, George Hinterland, as they attempted to harass and bully Suzaku.

It was odd too, because even as Lelouch ushered Suzaku back to his dorm room after the incident, he couldn't help but question his own blatant frustration about what had just occurred between the four of them.

Not to mention, Suzaku seemed pretty dumbfounded by the whole thing himself, even more so because the side of his face had already begun to turn purple and swell below his eye. A drop of blood was visible now as well, barely oozing from a scratch on his cheek. And the sight alone only proved to piss Lelouch off all the more.

"Geez," Lelouch growled as he pulled Suzaku into his room, closed the door behind him, and began to examine his face. "I can't believe there are still people in this school who actually think it's acceptable to treat other people like that."

Suzaku didn't say anything, clearly still too thunderstruck by Lelouch's abrupt change in demeanor to react.

"Does it hurt?" Lelouch asked, running a finger over the bruise without really thinking about what he was doing.

Suzaku twitched in his spot, slightly pained by the touch, but mostly just unsure of how to process this new development.

"Uh… n-not really," he answered uncertainly.

Lelouch jerked away from him and furrowed his brows as if to imply that he wasn't buying it.

"Sit down on the bed," he ordered, turning to rummage through the top drawer of his dresser.

Suzaku did as he was told, almost afraid to object, and watched as Lelouch revealed a white box and placed it on the mattress beside him. He opened the tin, showing that inside was a medley of different first aid supplies which he began to look over. Then, after a few seconds, Lelouch clicked his tongue absentmindedly and pulled out a swab, some rubbing alcohol, and a small bandage before he looked at Suzaku once more with narrowed eyes.

"Here," he said, sitting next to him and pouring some alcohol on the swab. "Stay still."

Suzaku's breath hitched when the cold solution was used to dab away the blood on his face. It stung slightly, but that was unrelated, because the main reason for his reaction was the sudden diminished proximity between him and Lelouch. Sure, he'd seen him dote on Rolo and Nunnally like this before, so that side of him was nothing new, but for him to clean up Suzaku's face after a fight was strangely intimate in way which he wasn't entirely sure he was comfortable with.

By the time Lelouch finished up by placing the bandage on his cheek, Suzaku realized he'd been staring at him in awe the entire time, and suddenly he was oddly embarrassed.

"T-thanks," he stuttered, eyes still wide with wonder.

Lelouch didn't acknowledge his gratitude though, simply packing his medical supplies up and putting the box back in his drawer.

Then, out of the blue he asked, "Do you want me to report them?"

"Huh, what?" Suzaku replied unintelligently. "No, it's fine, really. I don't want to make a big deal out of this."

"It's already a big deal," Lelouch claimed adamantly, impatience rising in his tone. "People like that need to learn that _they_ are the problem with society. It has nothing to do with nationality or beliefs."

"That sort of thing doesn't really affect me though," Suzaku explained calmly. "I've learned the best way to deal with people like that is to disregard them completely."

Lelouch didn't look pleased with this.

"Be that as it may, they still need to learn a lesson in my opinion," he said bitterly.

"Lelouch," Suzaku began then, speaking his name slowly, as if he was sure to be scolded for saying it. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," Lelouch replied in a deceivingly serious manner. "So, then go ahead and ask."

Suzaku clenched his jaw, suddenly unsure of what it was he wanted to know exactly. After all, the word "confused" didn't even come close to explaining how he felt, sitting there with Lelouch in his single-person dorm. He didn't know how to feel about it honestly, because here was the guy that had only just begun to act mildly civil towards him. And it wasn't as if they were friends (or maybe they were, because hadn't Lelouch just claimed as much?), so he didn't understand why Lelouch had gone out of his way to tend to the cut on his face. It was one thing for him to have a serious abhorrence for racism, but he could've left it alone since Suzaku clearly had the upper hand. Besides, even if he still had intervened, he didn't need to drag Suzaku off to play nurse. It seemed like something someone's girlfriend would do.

So, in the end the only thing that Suzaku could think to ask was, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Lelouch was clearly taken aback by his question; his face scrunched in bewilderment before he cast his gaze to the ground, almost visibly insulted.

"I'm not being nice," he insisted coldly.

"Well… No, but yeah," Suzaku said. "You actually really are."

"I'm not being nice!" Lelouch snapped, suddenly glaring at him. "I'm doing the right thing and being a decent human being."

Suzaku looked on in slight disbelief, skepticism even.

"Sounds pretty nice to me," Suzaku stated bluntly. "Besides that, you don't even like me. So, why would you bother cleaning up something as small as that scratch?"

He pointed to his cheek.

Lelouch groaned, standing up and taking a few steps away from the bed.

"Nunnally likes you," he said.

"What?" Suzaku answered flatly. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Look," Lelouch practically hissed. "If Nunnally likes you then I can't very well find it in myself to say that I hate you."

Suzaku laughed sarcastically.

"And why's that?"

Lelouch paused for a moment, deciding how he should reply, wondering if it was really okay to answer him truthfully.

"Nunnally is a good judge of character, and I trust her," he finally stated, leaving it at that.

Suzaku stopped, taking a moment to examine the way Lelouch's expression twisted. He didn't look angry so much as exhausted, but whatever the reasoning behind it, Suzaku found that he couldn't help the swell of interest which, once again, was rising in his chest. After all, if Nunnally really held so much power over her brother (the power to make him change his mind about Suzaku so abruptly), then that brought up the question of "what else can she make him do?"

And while he was aware of how rude and downright creepy it was for him to think such a thing, Suzaku suddenly saw a door open up before him. Perhaps with the help of Nunnally, the person Lelouch probably trusted most, he'd be able to see past his defenses more. Maybe he could ease his way into Lelouch's life, and maybe Suzaku could do the impossible. In fact, most of all he wanted to know if he had it in him to do what no one else had ever done. That was the driving force which led his actions. It was the only explanation for his intense craving to understand Lelouch more than anyone else. That really, truly _had_ to be it, because otherwise Suzaku saw no way to justify his enthrallment with Lelouch.

In the end, he too had been sucked into Ashford's cruel game of "Catch the Prince."

That was all there was to it.

And Suzaku was ready for the fight, because he loved that sort of thing.

"It's surprising how much you dote on your brother and sister, ya know that?" he began again, eyeing Lelouch inconspicuously.

Well, of course they still had a long way to go.

"Isn't that what family does?" Lelouch barked in defiance, shooting him a pointed look. "What? Do you not have any siblings?"

Suzaku shook his head.

"No," he said casually, taking note of the way Lelouch's posture stiffened.

"Oh," he muttered lowly, a strangely bitter look on his face.

Now, Suzaku wasn't really the sort of person to pry at or manipulate people; he liked to think of himself as a generally good person, and he knew his place. However, the opportunity to take advantage of Lelouch's strong sense of family values was just sitting there before him, waiting to be seized. And how could he say no to such an offering? It was almost as if it was meant to be. Suzaku couldn't believe how well everything lined up, because if anyone could tug at Lelouch's heartstrings, he knew he could. After all, if he really was that soft hearted in the matter of domesticity then Suzaku had the perfect story to tell.

"I guess my mom always used to dote on me though," he spoke up again, snapping the awkward silence. "I think I get it."

Lelouch looked at Suzaku uncertainly.

"You asked me a question," he said coldly. "So, now it's my turn."

Suzaku consciously held back a grin of triumph.

"Sure, what is it?" he wondered harmlessly.

Lelouch paused once more.

"Why would you transfer here at the end of the year?" he asked, voice wavering as he tried to sound authoritative. "And all the way from Japan to boot…"

Suzaku's lips formed into a line as he attempted to act surprised by the question, as if he hadn't been baiting it.

"Hmm…" he hummed thoughtfully. "That's kind of a hard question to answer."

Lelouch furrowed his brows and backed away from Suzaku ever so slightly. He seemed almost skittish in that moment, rather like a cat in an unfamiliar house.

"It's fine not to say," he huffed.

"It's alright," Suzaku chuckled casually. "The truth is that I wasn't really 'happy' in Osaka."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Lelouch pressed on, looking as skeptical as always.

Then Suzaku turned away from him though, gazing at the door on the other side of the room with an expression Lelouch had never seen him wear before.

"Up until recently I was homeschooled," Suzaku finally stated in a somewhat distant tone. "I only ever really saw my father when I was needed for appearances' sake, since he lives in Tokyo and all. So, originally it was just me and my mom at the estate."

"Originally?" Lelouch prompted for clarification without really meaning to.

Suzaku sighed.

"Yeah," he continued. "We basically had everything I could ever need there too, so I didn't leave much at all until recently."

Lelouch swallowed hard, perhaps regretting his own curiosity once he realized there was so much more to the story. Honestly, what right did he have to ask in the first place anyway? After all that he had said and done to Suzaku, he should've just waved Lelouch off and told him it was none of his business. However, (unlike him) Suzaku was being an open book, and that wasn't really helping the fact that Lelouch wanted to hear all he had to offer. And, even if he tried to explain it away, saying the only reason he was so interested in Suzaku was because Nunnally liked him, that didn't exactly make it okay.

Besides, deep down even Lelouch knew that that was utter bullshit.

Suzaku glanced at him again though, and he smiled cheekily, even if it didn't completely reach his eyes.

"You wanna know the truth?" he asked when Lelouch refused to talk.

Lelouch raised a brow, afraid to admit just how curious he truly was about all of this.

However, nevertheless he nodded curtly.

Suzaku laughed once, but it came out somber and nearly harsh in tone.

"I've never had friends, because of my living situation," he explained smoothly. "Honestly, I thought I was perfectly okay with it too… I was really busy all the time anyway; I always had lessons and training and stuff to keep me busy. My mom was my only real company though. So, in the end, after she died, it kinda hit me just how alone I really was."

Lelouch's breath hitched and he could feel the way his visage morphed into something akin to concern.

It made sense to him now, definitely.

And when Suzaku felt the change in the atmosphere between them, when he saw the way Lelouch's face fell and the way his eyes dropped, Suzaku did a mental cheer of victory.

Mission "Sympathy" was a success.

**x x x **

To put it lightly, Suzaku was incredibly impressed with himself.

How he had managed to befriend Lelouch was still all too far-fetched to him, even if he was aware that it was mostly because of Nunnally's positive influence.

It felt like a dream almost, because the Lelouch Suzaku thought he knew was nothing like the Lelouch he knew now. He was actually incredibly sweet, in a muted, stoic sort of way which was all his own, and astoundingly naïve sometimes, for the genius he was. Lelouch liked to appear as if he understood everything too, but the truth was that he really only understood what he could research. So, he didn't exactly have a handle on how _people_ worked, and Suzaku found it hard to believe that Lelouch still hadn't realized why everyone was suddenly avoiding him.

Of course, they weren't really avoiding Lelouch, per say, but more so Suzaku for what it was worth.

The thing was, though, that Suzaku felt a small swell of pride in his chest with that information alone, because he somehow enjoyed knowing that he was the sole reason literally no one had asked Lelouch out in well over three weeks. And the best part was that Lelouch seemed genuinely pleased with all of this, whether or not he was aware of what was actually going on, because when he got his desired amount of solitude, then that seemed to put him in a much better disposition

Or, at least Suzaku liked to think he noticed Lelouch's typical sour demeanor lifting a bit more often nowadays.

"Do you think Shirley's upset with me?"

The sudden question brought Suzaku from his thoughts.

"Huh?" he answered dumbly.

He and Lelouch had just left their English class, the eighth and final period of the day. As the two continued on their way down the hall and towards the dorms, Suzaku caught Lelouch glimpsing over his shoulder. He thought, perhaps, he was checking for eavesdroppers.

"She's been avoiding eye contact with me lately," Lelouch mused, seemingly off-handedly, though Suzaku could tell it was bugging him.

He laughed.

"I think it's my fault," Suzaku said.

Lelouch stopped walking and scowled at him.

"And what, pray tell, did _you_ do?" he asked cautiously, as if he didn't really want to know the answer.

Suzaku turned and shrugged.

"Nothing… at least nothing on _purpose_," he replied lightheartedly. "I think she's just jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Lelouch continued to press disbelievingly.

"Of me," Suzaku laughed again. "I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm stealing you away from everybody or something."

Lelouch gave him a disgusted look and scoffed, turning to walk out the building once more.

"That's gross, Suzaku," he said, though he didn't sound particularly bothered by it. "As if you even _could _do such a thing… Besides, the phrase 'stealing away from everybody' implies that I belong to someone other than myself, which would be utter nonsense."

"That's true," Suzaku agreed. "'Course, the Emperor probably says you belong to Britannia, don't you think?"

Once again, Lelouch emitted a scoff.

"That's even more disgusting," he muttered as Suzaku pushed the door to the courtyard open.

"Is it?"

"Yes," Lelouch insisted. "How would you like to belong to _Japan-_?"

Though, he looked as if he were going to continue, Lelouch cut himself short, immediately regretting his words.

"Wait," he recovered. "Forget I said that."

Suzaku blinked, a bit surprised, before he smiled again and sped up to match their walking paces.

"It's fine," he assured him, even though Lelouch hadn't actually apologized. Words weren't really necessary when Suzaku could see the regret on his face.

"You're right, anyway. I wouldn't want to _belong_ to my country… not in _that_ way," he added, watching the way Lelouch's lip twitched inconspicuously.

It was a quick save, but Lelouch seemed to accept it, promptly dropping the subject in a manner that was very much like him.

He released a soft humming noise of concurrence, but otherwise continued to stare on at the grass below his feet without another word.

To Suzaku it was weird how _not-weird_ it was walking with Lelouch like this though. Their silences were just about as content as their conversations it seemed, and Suzaku suddenly wasn't sure how he had gone so long without having any _actual_ friends.

He found it amazing, the way the two of them had really just sort of "clicked," so to speak. It was kinda cool too, because Lelouch's intelligence was refreshing to Suzaku, and he felt smarter simply by talking to him some days. Of course, honestly (other than because of the sympathy part of it all) he wasn't sure why exactly Lelouch liked him though, because Lelouch was Lelouch and could've been friends with anyone. Yet, for some reason he seemed to legitimately enjoy talking to Suzaku, of _all_ people.

Suzaku didn't have much of an ego either; he wasn't exactly on Lelouch's level as far as brain power went, and he had no real talents to speak of (aside from fighting, but that was hardly something to call a 'talent'). And nevertheless, Lelouch willingly chose to hang out with him.

It was kind of empowering to think about.

Lelouch was really beautiful too, and, frankly, that made it all the worse.

He caught himself staring a lot, especially during those valuable silences when he studied in Lelouch's dorm. Suzaku simply couldn't help it. The quiet surrounding the room was tempting him, because it made his mind wander. He realized, somewhere along the lines, he had begun to enjoy merely watching Lelouch as he read. He was pretty like a girl after all, and sometimes Suzaku couldn't resist dwelling on those nasty thoughts which formed when he took in all the tiny details of the boy in front of him.

Ultimately, if Lelouch where to find out about any of the bizarre dreams Suzaku had experienced within the past few weeks (which almost always ended with him waking up in the dark with the unpleasant feeling of a cold sweat sticking to the back of his neck), their relationship would probably be even worse than it was before. In fact, he would absolutely _despise_ Suzaku if he heard of any of the disgusting things that went through his mind as he lay in his bed in the middle of the night.

Yet, that also kind of confused Suzaku, who had never really thought of other boys in such a fashion. He wasn't a virgin by any means, obviously, but those times had all been meaningless one-night stands that were more or less just to burn off excess frustration. Still, the random noble girls he met at banquets weren't anything like the challenge that was Lelouch vi Britannia. And whether or not Suzaku wanted to sleep with him was irrelevant, because Lelouch was, for all intents and purposes, off limits.

He was also far too curious a person. It had already been enough of an adventure befriending him; Suzaku didn't want to think what would happen if he were to actually begin _pursuing_ him next.

Picturing the repercussions made him want to cringe.

Lelouch was a breath of fresh air though, that was for sure, and Suzaku honestly didn't think it was all that weird that he was attracted to him aesthetically, as well as mentally.

Most people wanted Lelouch, physically that was, so it wasn't as if it didn't make sense in that regard.

Of course, Lelouch, himself, didn't seem to appreciate the utter devotion some Britannian citizens held for him simply because he was a prince of their country. So, even if they didn't like him for his looks, that didn't mean they wouldn't annoy the hell out of him.

However, Lelouch's being royalty wouldn't have mattered much to Suzaku either way, he who was used to being around people of high status as it was. And Lelouch was still just a person. Prince or not, genius or not- he certainly wasn't perfect, that was for sure.

The fact that Suzaku had honestly just gotten extremely lucky was irrelevant.

Lelouch was sensitive too though, very much so actually, and he was a bit emotionally stunted when it didn't involve his family. Not to mention, even if he was gorgeous and elegant as far as looks were concerned, sometimes he had a downright repulsive personality, and when he got riled up he tended to become awfully clumsy. Lelouch could be intolerably cruel as well, and he knew exactly what to say to really hit a person where it hurt. Well, at least that was how he acted when people were bothering him, but Lelouch was also extremely weak-hearted and clearly very afraid of karma coming back to bite him where it hurt.

And furthermore, he was kind of a mother hen when it came to his younger siblings, but Suzaku knew if he were to say that to Lelouch's face, he would almost certainly get slapped.

Still, Lelouch genuinely cared about people, despite what he led everyone to believe. You just had to give him a reason _to_ care, that was all.

Obviously, Nunnally was the reason he'd given Suzaku a chance, along with a small dose of a sad story and a subtle guilt trip.

But, once again- irrelevant.

"Nunnally asked me to invite you to dinner with us again tonight," Lelouch changed the subject offhandedly, pulling him from his thoughts. "It was her specific request, so even Rolo refrained from protesting, because he knows how much she enjoys your company."

Suzaku grinned at him, finding amusement in the way Lelouch's brother and sister were so predictable.

"Nunnally is so cute and sweet. I bet she's already pretty popular with the boys in her class, huh?" he speculated innocently. "I mean, your entire family is nice to look at, but, now that I think about it, I noticed you don't look like the twins at all."

"That's because I take after my mother more," Lelouch stated in a tone which suggested he was bored of the subject.

Suzaku was feeling lucky however, so he decided to press a bit harder.

"Your name is French, isn't it?" he asked, examining Lelouch's profile curiously. "Does that mean your mother is French?"

Lelouch nodded faintly, refusing to make eye contact with him for whatever reason.

"Her maiden name is Lamperouge," he sighed in resignation. "She was a commoner born here in Britannian, so she is technically a citizen, but my mother is a pureblooded French woman really. So, Nunnally, Rolo, and I are all only half Britannian, and some of our siblings alienate us as a result."

Suzaku furrowed his brows and finally Lelouch looked at him once more, stopping to place himself beneath a tree near the edge of the courtyard. It seemed he wasn't in the mood to return the dorms just yet.

Suzaku followed suit, plopping down in the grass beside him.

"What's up with that? It's not like your gene pool affects them," he reasoned. "The Britannian hierarchy has a messed up sense of family values."

Lelouch huffed in a manner which suggested he was withholding a laugh, casting his eyes back to the ground.

"Yes, well," he began. "Unfortunately for that part of my family, my mother is also the Emperor's favorite wife. So, the three of us tend to be spoiled a bit more regardless."

Suzaku chucked under his breath at that comment.

"It figures," he concurred.

When Lelouch smiled then, it took every ounce of Suzaku's willpower not to simply touch him. His palms felt clammy, and his hands kept twitching anxiously as a deep desire to merely graze the tips of his fingers against Lelouch's skin, even for just a moment, began to overwhelm him. But Suzaku held back, because he knew better than to push his luck too far, especially when he had just recently gained a fraction of Lelouch's fragile trust.

And, if he overstepped any boundaries, Suzaku was sure he would never be able to break down Lelouch's walls.

"So, can I expect to meet you later?" Lelouch asked again then, attempting to distract from his momentary lapse in persona.

"Yeah, of course!" Suzaku chimed merrily. "Thank Nunnally for inviting me, okay?"

"Thank her yourself," Lelouch deadpanned. "Oh, and as for Rolo… I'm going to have a talk with him about his blatant disregard for manners, just so you know."

Suzaku narrowed his eyes, failing to hold back an amused cough this time.

"What's so funny?" he demanded, glaring in return.

"Oh, like you're really one to talk about _manners_, Lelouch," Suzaku taunted with a shrug. "At least your little brother doesn't totally ignore the fact that I'm alive."

Although, while the harmless jab had meant nothing in his eyes, when Suzaku turned to see Lelouch's face drop, he realized that his statement may have come out the wrong way. After all, Lelouch refused to look him in the eye once more, his mouth drawn into a thin line which told Suzaku he was in deep thought. And he considered that perhaps he should've known better at that point, since Lelouch already had a habit of subtly expressing his shame in regards to the entire ordeal. It wasn't as if Suzaku had really been affected by the situation anyhow. He had at least a vague understanding of why Lelouch acted the way he did by then too, so that made his actions easier to disregard at least. Plus, if anything he was already making up for his previous attitude, essentially just by favoring Suzaku above most other people now.

So, Suzaku wasn't exactly about to go around complaining either way.

After their sudden anxious pause, Lelouch finally chose to speak again.

"What should I say to that?" he muttered. "It's not exactly some appalling secret that I'm not a people-person."

Suzaku snorted humorlessly.

"You could be if you wanted to," he said. "You just don't want to. But I guess there's nothing wrong with needing to be alone. I think about that sort of thing a lot when I go to stuffy overcrowded political parties with my dad. But I doubt most people really enjoy those things anyway."

Lelouch ran his hand lightly over the top of the grass they were sitting on, looking somewhat daydream-y.

"Well," he sighed. "I suppose I can't really argue with that. People like to put on a farce in order to please each other, but in the end it just seems to create more distance between us."

"That's politics," Suzaku stated bluntly, leaning back on his hands to stare at the cloudless sky.

Lelouch appeared as though he wanted to say something else then, finally glancing at his face when he thought Suzaku wouldn't notice. But he did notice, and he knew by his expression that Lelouch was clearly extremely conflicted, as if he couldn't find the right words to construct whatever was on his mind.

"Is something wrong?" Suzaku finally questioned, unable to bear the still tension a moment longer.

Lelouch shook his head dismissively.

"Not really," he replied. "I just find it a bit… _peculiar_."

Suzaku raised a brow, not sure what to make of Lelouch's ambiguous answer.

"What is?" he asked.

"Nothing," Lelouch insisted frivolously, quickly standing up. "I forgot to tell you, I won't be around for summer break. I'm spending the week out of town."

"Oh, I kind of figured," Suzaku answered simply, though silently taking note of the second change in topic. "Where are you going? I'm probably just gonna stay on campus."

With this, Lelouch allowed their eyes to meet.

"We're going to my mother's villa out in the country," he said in a strangely confused tone of voice. "You're honestly just going to stay here by yourself?"

Suzaku laughed and adjusted his position on the grass, using Lelouch's shadow to block the sun from his eyes.

"Don't you think it would be a waste of time to go all the way home for just one week?" he inquired rhetorically. "It's a long flight… I don't know what I would do there anyway, besides maybe just go back to training with my teacher."

"Is that really fine?" Lelouch mused, clearly unconvinced.

Suzaku shrugged.

"It doesn't bother me that much," he explained. "I like to be alone sometimes too."

"I see…" Lelouch said, looking away. "Anyway… I have to go pick up Nunnally and Rolo now, so I suppose I'll talk to you later."

"Uh huh," Suzaku agreed, still staring up at him from the ground warily. "I'll call you."

As Lelouch walked away however, Suzaku felt a foreboding sensation running up the back of his neck. He knew something was amiss, that wasn't hard to deduce, but Lelouch had never been an open book to begin with of course. So, whatever was irking him so much could've consisted of a vast number of pet peeves and/or strong opinions that he held. And, unless he found a way to weasel answers out of him, Suzaku knew for fact that Lelouch (as well as his fundamental thought process) would continue to confound him.

But hey, at least he'd made some progress, right?

**x x x**

C.C. was a notoriously mysterious figure at Ashford Academy.

No one could say for sure that they knew who she really was or where she really came from, but that made sense considering they were all too terrified of her to ask.

In fact, up until recently, she had been the only person capable of actually warding off Lelouch's "followers," so to speak, for that sole reason.

It had never been a guaranteed thing of course; there were still those who would dare to brave the Green Haired Witch's presence in vain attempts to consult their beloved prince. However, C.C. worked rather like a good dose of aspirin after a basketball to the head, in lengthy intervals. So, maybe that was why she was Lelouch's (unofficial) best friend. Or perhaps it was because from the moment they met two years ago, C.C. could find nothing which entertained her more than toying with Lelouch's emotions. For as long as she'd know him he'd been like a dramatic plot twist in the middle of a book, always fickle in his actions.

C.C. and Milly had much in common in regards to the subject of Lelouch as well, but C.C. was certain that it was somehow different on her part. Milly was the sort to force her way into a person's life, looking to drain all their regrets by wringing them dry. But C.C. was smarter than that. Lelouch wasn't most people. It was his technical way of processing things which made Milly's head-on approach futile, because in order to understand Lelouch you had to think like him first.

You had to be quick, witty, passive aggressive- anything which showed him you weren't intimidated by his "angry face."

You can't wring out a frozen rag.

Of course, even with her (unofficial) position in his life, C.C. wasn't ignorant to the fact that Lelouch kept secrets from her. However, she also liked to think she understood him well enough. It wasn't from observation alone that she'd come to learn more about him after all. He'd told her things, not everything, but things. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was hiding something about his past obviously, but C.C. had a firm grasp on his personality. It was probably more than safe to assume someone important to him had broken his trust.

Ergo, Lelouch no longer fully trusted _anyone_.

And maybe it was rude to want to peel away at his hard exterior so badly, but C.C. simply couldn't help herself and, quite frankly, didn't care.

At least she wasn't the only one; Milly was much worse than she and now… _now_ _even Suzaku was a part of this?_

As far as C.C. was concerned, the future looked bright.

_BANG! BANG!_

"_Let me in, C.C.! I know you're in there!"_

C.C. snorted at the incongruity.

"Speak of the devil," she muttered under her breath.

Lazily slipping from her bed, C.C. walked to the door, leaning her cheek against the cold wood.

"Is there something you want?" she asked through the barrier between them.

"_C.C.,"_ Lelouch hissed. _"Let. Me. In." _

C.C. couldn't help but laugh.

"Fine," she sighed, opening the door for him.

Although, before she allowed him to enter, she did have to sneak a peek outside, just to catch a glimpse of all the girls in the general area who had their eyes plastered on them. They were chatting and whispering, and some even looked on in blatant fear. It was like some big celebrity had waltzed off the street and into their school.

So, everything was pretty much the same.

"Quite an audience," C.C. mused as she moved out of the way, tossing her hand in a dismissive, flippant gesture. "How can I help you?"

"Let's discuss something," Lelouch demanded firmly, arms crossed once he'd slammed the door shut behind him.

She knew what that meant- that was his way of saying he had a problem.

"And what is it we're discussing?" C.C. prompted offhandedly.

Lelouch groaned and turned away.

"It's about Suzaku," he said.

"Called it," C.C. scoffed. "Isn't everything about Kururugi these days?"

"Be quiet," Lelouch spat. "I shouldn't even be here telling you any of this right now. Of course, I could have predicted that you'd mock me."

"Fine," she replied with a huff, shaking her head. "I promise, no jokes, I'll be 100% serious."

"An endeavor impossible for one such as yourself," he quipped in return, crossing his arms.

She rolled her eyes.

"So, what is this 'Suzaku Problem' you're having?" C.C. said a bit too sweetly, making sure to use the proper air quotes. "It's not every day you come to me for advice, of all things."

"I was right. It's impossible for you to take anything seriously," Lelouch griped, shooting her a glare.

C.C. frowned, recognizing the classic patterns in his speech. He was certainly good at changing the subject, since he did it so smoothly that most people forgot what they were talking about beforehand. But, calling him out on it always had seemed to work in getting the conversation back on track. After all, Lelouch had come to _her_. There was no point in him clamming up now, just because she threw some of her typical jabs his way.

"Lelouch," C.C. said lowly. "You sought me out, remember? Stop trying to divert."

Lelouch paused, staring at her distrustfully for a moment.

"Fine," he relented. "He's going to be alone on campus for the spring break."

"What?" she asked plainly. "Kururugi is?"

"Yes," Lelouch sighed as he sat by C.C. on her bed. "I'm worried about it… but more than that, I'm worried about the fact that I'm worried about it."

C.C. scoffed again.

"And here I thought you had a real problem."

"Excuse me?" he growled. "This is a definite problem for someone like me."

"What are you so worried for anyway?" she wondered. "Kururugi's a big kid; he can make his own decisions, and I doubt anyone is forcing him to stay here… Or are you just worried he'll be lonely?"

Lelouch furrowed his brows, but he didn't deny anything.

C.C. took note of that.

"That isn't the point," he grumbled. "A few weeks ago we ended up on the topic of family…"

C.C. frowned, examining Lelouch's expression curiously. There was something there which was certainly new, cloaked only by a silk lining of fondness. It was soft, foreign, and somehow very troubling. He wasn't sad, that was too simple. It wasn't sympathy or empathy, more akin to hesitation and a fear which yearned to be reconciled.

She didn't speak; allowing Lelouch to divulge whatever information he was comfortable with.

"No details," he went on with a faint shake of the head. "I just think… a lot has happened to him recently."

Well, that was out of the ordinary to the say the least.

She still wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but it was clear now to C.C. that Lelouch was actually genuinely very concerned. And while she knew nothing more about Suzaku, the only people who typically triggered that side of Lelouch's true self were his family members. If the subject was in regards to a dysfunctional domestic situation, then that might explain it, but C.C. didn't feel that she knew enough about the full story to make any valid guesses as to why he really cared. Not to mention, though she hated to admit it, if her assumption was wrong and Suzaku's "troubled life" had nothing to do with his family, then the entire ordeal may end up vexing her a bit.

After all, she knew next to nothing about Suzaku, and therefore she simply couldn't understand what made him so _special_.

"A lot of things have happened to a lot of people," she replied sarcastically, donning a perfect poker face.

Lelouch was far from amused.

"Look," he started again. "Let's just say, being around people was his reason for coming here in the first place. It feels wrong to leave him by himself."

"Riveting tale," C.C. said in a flat tone. "And while I'm sure Kururugi's life story is both dark and depressing, he's more or less an adult. So, I'm going to go ahead and assume that he can handle having the entire campus to himself for a while."

She sprouted a disdainful grin.

"That is… unless you want to take him with you to your mother's villa," she added. "How cute; I'm sure the Empress would be positively tickled to meet your new boyfriend."

Lelouch narrowed his eyes and sneered, but he did not dignify her baiting words with a response.

"I was considering staying here actually," he admitted reluctantly, glaring at the wall. "Euphemia is going to the Villa as well, so Nunnally and Rolo won't need me to accompany them. She's supposed to meet us here at the end of our last day of classes."

C.C. was gaping.

"You…"

She wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. It was like there was a different person in front of her, because when had Lelouch ever cared so much about anything? It made no sense. And of course she (and everyone else) had established that the two of them weren't related by any means. So, how had Suzaku done it? How come one minute he was the enemy, and the next he was Lelouch's shadow? Was Lelouch being manipulated? That didn't sound probable; he would never fall for something of that nature. Was he being drugged? Also unlikely- there was no drug in the world that could make him obsessed with a single individual, was there?

And what made Suzaku so _goddamn_ _special_?

"You're really serious about this," C.C. uttered disbelievingly. "What exactly has he been telling you? I think you've been brainwashed."

"Excuse you?" Lelouch practically growled. "You really want to know what he told me?! He told me that his mother just _di_\- _!_"

He didn't need to finish that statement in order to know it was too late to go back. C.C. was smart enough to deduce what he had been saying. It would simply be a waste of time to deny it. Still, Suzaku had specifically asked him not to divulge his secrets to anyone else, mostly because he didn't want people to worry over it. So, Lelouch felt a bit guilty knowing he'd broken that promise, even if it was just in the heat of the moment.

Well, at least it all made sense now.

C.C. swallowed hard and her face scrunched, stuck some place between confusion and sudden comprehension.

"Oh," she said slowly. "So, what are you going to do?"

Lelouch sighed.

"I don't know," he replied in exasperation.

**x x x**

It was 9AM that Sunday when his phone rang.

"Hello Mother," Lelouch answered in the voice of a dutiful son, not even bothering to check the caller ID.

"Lelouch, dear," the Empress chuckled. "Must you always sound so stiff, even with me? I'm not your father you know."

Lelouch's relationship with his mother, Marianne, was rather unique, at least as far as he was concerned. He loved his mother dearly, but unlike his siblings, there had always been a strange invisible barrier between the two of them. Lelouch mostly blamed this on himself, but somehow he couldn't help but wonder if she too had a secret she was keeping from him. Because Lelouch hid many things from nearly everyone in his family now, his mother most of all, and he kept his distance in order to spare her from the truth, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch to think she was doing the same.

It seemed a bit unfair, but Lelouch didn't think that life was supposed to be fair. So, even in regards to his mother, whom he cared for so deeply, it was for the best.

"I take it this is about my vacation," he said, avoiding the subject tactfully.

"Indeed it is," his mother chimed. "The car will be there to pick you up tomorrow morning at seven, after Euphemia of course. So, do make sure that you and the twins are ready to leave on time. The drive is rather long after all."

Lelouch's grip on his phone tightened, realizing he had to make a decision about what to do for his break at that very moment. He considered telling the Empress a lie, a little white one which would explain away his absence from the Villa, but he could think of nothing believable to tell her. Besides, even if he was able to trick his mother into thinking he wanted to stay on campus for a reason other than because he felt bad for Suzaku, Lelouch knew that Euphie (at least) would be able to see right through him if she were to find out. Then she would feel the need to investigate, and he certainly didn't want that. But for Lelouch to tell his mother the truth was simply out of the question, and so he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Uh… about that," he stammered uncharacteristically. "I'm not sure I… that is to say, I think I may need to stay here for the week."

The line went quiet then, and Lelouch would easily picture the look on Marianne's face.

"Lelouch… is something wrong?" she questioned him with a voice laced in concern. "I thought you _despised_ staying at school."

Lelouch began to panic, utterly unprepared for the situation he was in.

What should he say to her?

What _could_ he say?

"Well, it's just that my friend is-" he blurted out before he could think better of it, but he was swiftly cut off.

"Your friend?" his mother nearly gasped. "This is about a _friend_?"

_Shit_, Lelouch inwardly cursed at his slip up.

"Well…" he began again, no longer seeing any way out of the ordeal. "Yes, I suppose it is."

"And you want to stay at school because of this _friend_?" the Empress pressed on, and Lelouch could hear the amusement in her voice. "Is there a reason for this?"

He swallowed hard then, feeling a cold sweat forming on the back of his neck.

Regardless of the secrets that Lelouch hid from Marianne, he was still her son, and he knew that she could see through him to some extent. This was an easy case as well, since Lelouch hardly ever missed a chance to escape to his mother's place in the country, and over a "friend," of all things. It was no great feat to figure out that this was no ordinary situation, and therefore he was guaranteed to be pestered for details by not only the Empress, but probably Euphie as well.

As an awkward moment of silence dwelled between them, Lelouch realized too late that he had let it drag on more than he should have.

"Lelouch?" his mother asked, probably checking to make sure he was still on the line.

"Um, yes," he said, trying to play it off. "It's not much of a reason really. It's just that he's too far from home to bother returning for vacation and I thought…"

Lelouch trailed off when Marianne let out a breathy laugh.

"So, you're worried for him," she teased.

Well, Lelouch figured it was meaningless to try and hide it at that point.

"I…" He paused. "I suppose I am. Really, I just think it's cruel to leave him there by himself."

Marianne sighed affectionately.

"It's strange to imagine you caring so much about a friend," she said. "This boy must be very special to have you making such a fuss over him."

Lelouch instantly felt his face warm up at her statement, and suddenly he was immensely grateful that they were having this conversation over the phone. He was positive his expression would've given him away in a matter of seconds…

_Wait_, he thought. _Given away what?_

"Mother…" Lelouch drawled warily. "It's not that he's necessarily 'special.' I simply feel bad considering his circumstances…"

Once again the Empress cut him off.

"Lelouch, dear," she hummed. "Why not invite your friend to join us at the Villa?"

Lelouch's breath hitched at that.

"Really?" he said without thinking. "You're fine with that?"

"I insist!" Marianne laughed. "I know you, you are my son after all, so I'm sure your friend will be more than welcome to stay with us. Tell him he's been personally invited by the Empress of Britannia herself."

Lelouch could make out the glee in her voice easily. She was excited to hear that Lelouch had a real friend most likely, because even though she wasn't aware of his exact situation at school, his mother did know that he hadn't exactly been the most social person in a very long time. He certainly never spoke of friends after all, so for him to voice such concern about someone she had no previous knowledge of already was probably a bit mind-boggling.

"I'll offer," Lelouch confirmed with a wavering tone. "I'm not sure he'll feel comfortable with it though."

"And does this friend of yours have a name?" his mother went on cheerfully. "I'd like to know the identity of the person I've just invited to my home."

Again, Lelouch paused.

"Uh…" He hesitated. "It's Suzaku."

This time it was the Empress's turn to go silent, causing Lelouch to stiffen up once more.

"You mean Suzaku Kururugi?" she asked, sounding like she wasn't sure how to process the information she'd just been given. "You mean the Prime Minister's son?"

"Yes," Lelouch replied as though he too were asking a question.

"Ah, I see," Marianne said in a slightly solemn voice. "I understand- now it makes sense."

"Then… you know what happened?" Lelouch pressed. "I guess I should have assumed you would."

"Yes," she stated. "I know… So, tell Suzaku he is certainly welcome to stay with us for the spring break if he isn't comfortable being at school."

Lelouch bit the inside of his cheek and stood up to pace his room a bit.

"How much do you know exactly?" he asked.

"Well," she started. "I know about his mother… and a few other things. In fact, it's probable that I know even more than you, depending on what he's told you. I do have my various sources after all, dear. There was a large scandal surrounding the Kururugi family not long ago."

"A scandal?" Lelouch muttered in question.

Marianne sighed again, though this time it seemed rather melancholy and helpless.

"It isn't my place to say what happened," she explained. "I will allow Suzaku to tell you at his own leisure if he hasn't yet."

Lelouch was rather irritated by this, but he otherwise did not protest, knowing she was right to do so. Besides, there was no question about the fact that Lelouch and Suzaku had steadily been forming an interesting sort of relationship, and so even though it hadn't been long since it had begun, there was almost no doubt in Lelouch's mind that he would eventually be told whatever Suzaku thought was important for him to know. And if there was some large scandal around him, then it was only a matter of time, right?

"Right," Lelouch said. "Thank you; I will pass your message along."

"Of course," Marianne chirped. "Then I should probably let you go now, since I have yet to call your sister. Do keep me informed about what you two decide."

"I will," he assured her. "Bye, Mother."

"Goodbye, love," she returned right before the line went dead.

Lelouch sighed loudly, staring at the phone in his hand with soft eyes.

He couldn't think straight, unsure about offering to bring Suzaku along with him to the Villa. Even though Marianne seemed completely onboard with the plan (it had been hers after all), Lelouch somehow couldn't shake the feeling that Suzaku wouldn't be too keen on the idea of spending the week with a group of utter strangers. Despite being the royals of Britannia, Lelouch knew his family was an odd bunch, maybe a bit too much so for Suzaku, who was relatively normal from what he could tell.

He had to at least offer though; otherwise Lelouch knew he would be wrought with guilt for the entire holiday. So, he set his mind to it.

Lelouch quickly left his room, heading down the hall towards the dorm that Suzaku shared with Rivalz, surprisingly enough. And Lelouch prayed to the God he wasn't sure if he believed in that Rivalz wouldn't be the one to answer the door when he knocked, knowing there was no way he could ask what he wanted with that loudmouth around to ruin everything. There was no question that he would pick on Lelouch if he heard, and then he would definitely tell Milly, which would spell doom for both of them.

Luckily though, Lelouch's prayers were answered, as Suzaku opened the room to him, seemingly alone.

"Oh, hey," he said, gawking slightly. "What's up?"

Lelouch unwittingly fixed his posture, failing to look as demanding and assertive as he typically did.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Um, yeah, sure," Suzaku replied, stepping aside to clear the way for him.

Lelouch closed the door, shifting uncomfortably on his feet as they stood before each other, now completely alone.

"I know it's a bit sudden and weird," he forced out. "But my mother has invited you to join us at the Villa."

As if on cue, Suzaku's eyes widened comically.

"The Empress did?" he asked as if he thought it were a joke. "But why?"

"I know, I know, it's strange," Lelouch went on, trying not to sound as uncomfortable as he felt. "But she wanted me to tell you that she insists, since she says she's heard all about your… situation. It would be awkward though, wouldn't it? I certainly wouldn't want to spend a week someone else's family."

"It's not that it's strange," Suzaku said, raising an eyebrow. "I just don't understand how the subject would even come up in the first place."

Lelouch tensed again.

"Does it really matter?" he stammered, suddenly feeling rather defensive.

"Kinda," Suzaku replied plainly.

Lelouch rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he nearly spat. "That isn't the point. If you don't want to it's fine."

"It's not that I don't want to," Suzaku replied, shaking his head. "I just don't want to put you in an awkward situation."

Lelouch looked away, crossing his arms childishly.

"I offered, didn't I?" he asked.

"I thought the Empress offered," Suzaku laughed lightly.

Lelouch scoffed.

"Honestly though, Lelouch," Suzaku went on. "I really don't want to intrude on your family or be a bother. So, you don't have force yourself to…"

"I'm not forcing myself," Lelouch bit out. "It's just cruel to leave you here by yourself."

At this, Suzaku beamed.

"Then yeah," he all but cheered. "I'd love to come."

And Lelouch found himself struggling to fight off another blush as it threatened to overtake his cheeks. That was the last thing he wanted at the moment, for Suzaku to realize how flustered that smile made him feel, and how the thought of the upcoming week was already filling him with a distinct nervousness which had no specific reasoning behind it. A large helping of what-if's and worries were already beginning to pile up in his head, making his hands shake.

And, to be completely honest, the thing that worried Lelouch most was the thought of Suzaku meeting Euphie.

* * *

**AN: **Here it is guys… faster than anticipated (at least as far as I'm concerned), mistakes and all! Hahaha… I originally wanted to add 3 more parts to this chapter, but it was starting to drag out too long, and I kept developing different ideas, so I'm just gonna leave it at this. The next part is going to be an interlude, taking place at Marianne's Villa, and it's also going to be pretty short comparatively- maybe 5-7k words. This part is roughly 12k… which is the longest chapter so far… go figure. I hope the wait was worth it, because I know it's gonna take a while before I can force out the Interlude. And apart from that, I still have to start the next part of Lost Kitten, because I've been putting that off in favor of finishing this.

Once again though, and as always, none of my stories have been abandoned unless otherwise stated in my profile. I update it frequently too, so it's always reliable. If you're ever uncertain about the status of a story, then I implore you to go check it out there.

In the meantime, we'll soon be learning more about dear Suzaku's dramatic past. So far we know that his mother is dead, but there's more to it so just wait and see! I hope I've made it clear by now too that, while Lelouch thinks he is just some poor broken child, Suzaku is really pretty devious in all of this. Let's just say that he definitely isn't innocent. Can you blame him though? Especially because this is Lulu we're talking about here; you'd be curious too.

Lelouch also has a lot of back-story going for him, unless you couldn't tell from C.C.'s part in all of this. She's right in saying that someone broke his trust, but who was it? And how did they do it? I know the answers to these questions, but you obviously don't. So, stay tuned for that! We'll probably be exploring his part in all of this more in part four, so yeah! Part four was also when I planned to have him start realizing that he likes Suzaku as more than a friend too. So, I'm excited for that at least.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the next part is going to introduce Euphie, and let me tell you now (while I don't dislike her as a character and will certainly not be bashing her at all), she isn't exactly going to be a positive influence on Lelouch's relationship with Suzaku. After all, as you probably guessed already, she's going to fall for Suzaku pretty quickly… very much so actually. So, I think you can see where I'm headed with that idea.

Oooh… there's so much jealousy in this story already, isn't there? It's rather concerning…

Whatever.

Anyway, I'll probably be returning to edit this in the near future, so bear that in mind as well, because this is really just a rough, rough draft and I still feel like it's really rushed (as per usual). I've only really read through it once as it is too, and not even all of it. I skipped two parts. The beginning (with Shirley) is the part that I reread the most, but its honestly pretty old now compared to the rest of this chapter, which I wrote within the past two months or so probably…

Aside from that, thanks for reading, review if you'd like, and hopefully I'll see you in the Interlude!

Bye then my dears!

\- fae


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